


Suffer the Little Children

by ARtheBard



Series: JEmily Forever [15]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 04:08:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11246004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARtheBard/pseuds/ARtheBard
Summary: The team travels to Dallas in a case that strikes a personal chord for Hotch, JJ and Emily. Can they keep it together long enough to keep another young boy from dying?





	1. Chapter 1

Emily and JJ are saying goodbye to Will and Helen at the airport when JJ’s phone rings. She and Emily exchange a glance as JJ steps away to answer it. Helen frowns.

“What’s wrong?”

Will answers before Emily. “That’s the ringtone for calls coming in on the priority line from Quantico. I hate that damn tone.”

Emily smiles. “Me, too. I think this means we’ll have a case tomorrow.”

“Well, y’all be safe. And catch whatever bastard you end up chasing quickly,” Will tells her.

Emily nods. “We’ll aim to do both those things,” she promises.

JJ walks back up. “Em, I need to go to Quantico. It’s bad.”

“Okay. We’ll head there next. Henry and I can play in the day care center while you do what you have to do,” Emily offers.

“Sure. Okay.” She looks to Will and Helen. “Are you all checked in? Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee before you fight through security?”

Will shakes his head. “Nah, y’all go on. No need for you to be waiting here.”

“But, Will, I know you want to spend as much time with Henry as possible. I hate that we’re cheating you out of time,” JJ tells him.

“JJ, this weekend has been one of the happiest I can remember. Losing an hour with Henry won’t change that.”

Reluctantly, JJ finally concedes. The group exchanges hugs and the agents head out with Henry. Emily notices JJ is rather quiet on the drive. She reaches over and takes her wife’s hand.

“What’s wrong?”

JJ sighs. “Three little boys are dead. Blond hair. Ages 4, 4, and 5. They’ve disappeared the past 3 Mondays and have been found dead by Friday. A call to the cops gave up the location of the body each time.”

Any time a case involved children it was hard on them all. But Emily knows the description of the child is what clicks for JJ as it clicks for her. She glances in the rearview mirror to see Henry asleep, clutching his new bear. Henry and Jack could easily be victims of this killer if he stuck to taking blonde children. Emily squeezes JJ’s hand.

“We’ll stop him, Jen. You know we will.”

JJ just nods, her thoughts turning to the calls she will have to make to the team. “The case is in Dallas. I’m going to order the jet for first thing in the morning. I know Hotch will want to get us there as soon as possible.”

Emily nods. “True. Are you sure you don’t want me to come up and help you with the preliminaries?”

JJ shakes her head. “No. Keep him downstairs. For some reason I want him as far away from this case as possible. I know it’s silly but I do.”

Emily lifts JJ’s hand and kisses it. “It’s not silly, baby. I happen to agree with you. But if you need help to get it done faster I’m willing.”

“Thanks, Em. But I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Emily just nods as she continues the drive to Quantico.

Two hours later, JJ calls Hotch.

“Hey, JJ. Will and Helen get off okay?”

“Yes. But, Hotch, I’m at the office. We need to leave first thing in the morning for Dallas.” She lays the case out for him. “I’ve sent an email to Garcia telling her to search for like cases. This guy seems too organized for these to be his first kills.”

“I agree. Okay, let the team know. I’ll see you in the morning. We’ll do a full briefing on the plane.”

“Right. See you at 7.”

She hangs up the phone. She looks at the tri-frame picture on her desk showing Henry with Santa: happy, screaming, happy again. She sighs. What must those poor parents be going through especially at this time of year?

She shuts down her computer and grabs case files for each team member. Time for family and fun was over. It was back to the grind one more time before 2010 makes it final exit.

As JJ enters the day care center to get Emily and Henry she has to stop and watch. Henry had experienced a huge weekend and, not surprisingly, the little fellow was tired. Emily is sitting in the rocking chair singing to him as he dozes in her arms. JJ can’t help but be struck by a wave of love as she watches. Tears slip down her cheeks unnoticed.

Sensing her wife’s presence, Emily looks up. She sees the tears and the melancholy look on JJ’s face. She frowns.

“Jen? What’s wrong?” she whispers so as not to disturb Henry.

JJ walks over and gives her wife a kiss. “Nothing’s wrong, Em. I just…saw you sitting there with Henry and you both are just so beautiful. And after what I’ve just read I can’t imagine what I’d do if something happened to either one of you. I love you both so much.”

Emily smiles and reaches out to caress JJ’s cheek. “We love you, too. Come on, sweetheart, let’s get home. I called Francesca and let her know we’d probably be leaving by 6 tomorrow.”

JJ nods. “Good. Wheels up at 7 so we should be good. Briefing will be on the plane.”

Emily stands, bringing Henry up to her shoulder. He doesn’t even wake up. JJ wraps her arm around Emily’s waist and they head for home. One more peaceful night before getting back to the horrors of the BAU.


	2. Chapter 2

JJ uses the remote and pulls up the three pictures of the dead boys. Everyone notices the scary resemblance between the second victim and Jack Hotchner. The team sees their boss wince and quickly look down to the folder in his hand. JJ starts to present the case to the team.

“In the past three weeks 3 boys have gone missing on consecutive Mondays. By the end of the week a call is received by the police letting them know where to find the bodies. The boys have been tortured, starved, and not given any water. One died of dehydration while the other two succumbed to their injuries. If the unsub sticks to pattern, another boy will be taken today. Police have put out a warning to parents of blond haired children,” JJ concludes.

“Is Garcia looking for like crimes?” Morgan asks.

“Yes. Based on his pattern and lack of physical evidence it’s believed he has perfected his system over time. These are most likely not his first kills,” JJ relates.

“Was the local office called in when the children were just missing?” Rossi asks.

“For the first child, no. They thought it was a custody issue so the local police were handling it. When the call came in about the body they realized they were wrong. As soon as the second child was reported missing they contacted the field office for assistance.”

“Why the hell didn’t the field office contact us, even for just a consult?” Emily asks.

“The leader of this field office is a former profiler. He felt with his input they would be able to help the police without bringing in the BAU,” JJ explains.

Rossi looks at Hotch. “Anybody we know?”

Hotch rolls his eyes. “Bratner.”

Rossi chuckles. “Ah, yes, Charlie Bratner. Hated it when we called him ‘Brat’ but it really did suit him.”

“That’s   _why_   he hated it,” Hotch says with a grin.

“So was this guy any good or what?” Emily asks.

Reid snickers. “He passed the courses. But his people skills and observation skills sucked. I only knew him for about 6 months and that was 5 and a half months too many.”

Emily grins. If Reid didn’t like someone it’s a sure bet she’s not going to. “So, is this guy going to be a problem then?”

“No,” Hotch says. “We’ll be working directly with the police. Bratner will only be contacted if we need support from the field office. We’ve worked with these officers before so I don’t think we’ll need Brat’s support.” He opens the folder. “When we get there, Reid, I need a geographic profile. Morgan, Prentiss, I want you to go to the dump sites and see what there is to see. After that, get to the morgue and interview the M.E. Rossi, after we get settled at the police station we’ll go interview the families. JJ, the press on this is going to be big. Get with the police spokesperson and figure out what fires need to be put out. Any questions?”

No one has any. Each agent flips through the files JJ has made for them. Emily glances up and sees Hotch sitting alone, staring at the boy who looks like Jack. Her stomach twists, knowing JJ and she would be struggling just as much if the boy looked like Henry. Even just the fact that they were young and blonde was scary enough. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts and get a look at the scene reports and autopsy information

Morgan reaches over and points to something on one of the autopsy photos. “Prentiss, what do you make of this?”

Prentiss studies the strange burn mark. She can’t quite tell what it is. She shrugs. “I’m not sure. What does the autopsy report say?”

“It’s listed as a ‘burn of unknown origin’ on all three,” he tells her.

“Oh. So that’s not helpful.” Emily frowns and slowly turns the photo, seeing if she can see anything from different angles. She finally shakes her head. “I don’t know. But I feel like I should know.”

“Yeah, that’s what’s bugging me,” Morgan admits. “Hey, Reid, what do you see here?”

Reid looks at the photo. He too turns it around to see it from different angles. “I see a burn but I’m not sure what made it. It looks familiar, though.”

Morgan sighs. “So we all think we’ve seen it before. Great.”

“Look, maybe we’ll figure it out if we can see it on a body. Has the last child been released from the morgue yet?” Emily asks as she flips through the papers.

Morgan finds the info first. “Yes. In fact, he’s getting buried today.”

“Damn. Then let’s hope we don’t see it again,” Emily prays, knowing the last thing they want is another child in the morgue.

Thirty minutes later the laptop on the table beeps and Garcia appears to them via webcam.

“Hello, Scooby Friends. I have news and none of it is good.”

Hotch and Rossi move back towards the center seats. “Go ahead Garcia,” Hotch orders.

“I ran a like crimes search and got 8 hits.”

“Eight!” Emily blurts out.

“Yes, our Brunette Bombshell, eight. I’ve sent out requests for more info to see if they are really our unsubs work and as soon as I hear back I’ll let you know. But my gut tells me this is our guy.”

“Why’s that, Baby Girl?” Morgan asks.

“Eight cities, 5 or 6 kids in each, murders stop when the heat gets too high. Also, in each city, the kids that match the pattern all have the same color hair. I’ve emailed you the info.”

“So, they’re all blondes,” JJ summarizes.

“Uh, no. I meant that each city has a color. Blonde pops up 2 times outside of Dallas. The others are red, brown or black.”

“So, the blonde doesn’t matter so much as each kill set matching. That could mean the first child taken is an opportunistic take and the ones that follow are hunted,” Reid theorizes.

“True. Or the guy could have a color picked out. You know, challenging himself to find that first kid and the subsequent victims.”

JJ’s phone rings and she moves to the back of the plane to answer it.

“What else do you have for us, Garcia?” Hotch asks.

“Just one thing of the uber-creepy variety. I saw the autopsy photos. You know the so-called ‘burn of unknown origin’?”

“Yeah, Morgan and I were just discussing it. Do you know what it is?”

“No, but I can tell you it occurs on all the victims in every city and no one has yet been able to identify it.”

“Shit,” Emily mutters. “Are there any—”

Her question is interrupted by JJ. “Another boy was taken. This time the unsub actually attacked the boys mother to get to him. She’s in the hospital. They’re not sure if she’ll survive.”

The agents all exchange a look. If the unsub was that desperate to get the child that means he was stalking them, choosing the one he wants. And he’d do anything to get his target.

“Okay,” Hotch says. “Rossi, you and I will go to the hospital to speak to her and her family. Morgan, Prentiss, get to that abduction site and see what you can find. The clock is ticking for a little boy. Let’s not let it expire.”

JJ drops down in her seat. Her job was to get on the TV and make the public feel safer. She takes a few deep breaths to try to steady her nerves. She ignores the conversation going on around her. She stands and goes back to the galley, pouring herself another cup of coffee. As she doctors it her phone rings again.

“Jareau,” she answers.

“Agent Jareau, this is Detective Allen again. Monica Osters just passed away from her injuries. I thought you and the team would want to know.”

“Yes. Thank you, Detective Allen.”

She hangs up and stares at the phone as if it would ring again and change the news she just heard. She walks up to the others. “Monica Osters just died.”

Before anyone can respond to her, she turns and heads back to the galley. She stares at the cup of coffee. Suddenly her stomach feels queasy. She barely makes it into the small bathroom before she loses her breakfast and previous 2 cups of coffee. As she is trying to regain her equilibrium, a hand gently lifts her hair up and out of the way.

“Easy, Jen. Try to breathe slowly,” Emily says comfortingly. Her free hand massages JJ’s neck.

JJ finally nods. “I’m…I’m okay. Just give me a second?”

“Sure.” Emily steps out of the area, giving JJ some privacy.

JJ rinses her mouth and splashes some water on her face. “Jennifer Prentiss, get yourself together. Henry is fine. Jack is fine. This is just a case. It’s not personal. And damn it, if you don’t get your head together you’ll be a detriment to the team. Don’t do that to them. They deserve your best. And damn it, they’re going to get it!”

Her head steadier, her mind clearer, JJ steps out of the bathroom. Emily stares at her in concern.

“You okay?”

JJ smiles. “Yeah. Stomach was upset. I guess I need to lay off the coffee.”

Emily knows it was more than the coffee that sent JJ into the bathroom but she goes along with it. “Jen, if you give up coffee, there are entire countries that will lose their treasuries when they have to stop exporting the beans.”

JJ chuckles. “Smart ass. I need to start working on my first press statement.”

Emily nods and gives her a kiss on the forehead. “Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Thanks for the help.”

Emily smiles. “You never have to thank me for that.”

Emily heads back to her seat. JJ grabs her laptop and moves to the back seat to start her press statement. Emily spreads out the autopsy photos, looking at them all, trying to make out what makes the strange burn mark. Morgan leans closer to whisper to her.

“She okay?”

Emily nods. “Yeah. She’s good. Just something she ate.”

“Emily.” She looks up at him. “I’ll let that go for now, but don’t try to bullshit me. She and Hotch are going to be on edge this whole case. So are you. It’s too personal. And I know you’ll bury your fears to be strong for her. So I’m going to say this just once: if there comes a time you need to break, I’ll be there.”

Emily stares at him for a moment. Finally she nods. “Thanks, Derek.”


	3. Chapter 3

“…agents from the BAU arrived this morning and are working closely with the Dallas police to find this suspect. We once again caution parents of blonde haired boys, ages 2-8 to maintain vigilance when out with their child.

“Additionally, we ask for continued prayers for the family of Monica Osters. And please pray for the safe return of her son Scotty. If you have any information on the attack this morning, please call the police hotline. As soon as we have additional information, we will let you know. Thank you.”

JJ walks away from the podium. There will be time to answer questions later. Right now she needed to meet with the police spokeswoman and find out what she’s put out to the press, what has been leaked, and what the press was speculating. Based on the questions that were hurled at her as she walked away there was plenty of speculation to go around but so far no one had picked up on the like crimes in other parts of Texas. But it was only a matter of time before one crafty journalist found the pattern. Hopefully they would be nearing the end of the case before then.

* * *

 

Emily stands where Monica Osters had stood. “So I’m putting my son in the car and I’m hit from behind. Why didn’t I know there was someone coming?”

Morgan looks around. “Maybe he was in the car beside her and she didn’t think about it? Or maybe it was someone non-threatening. There’s no sexual abuse on the kids so it could be a woman.”

Emily slowly shakes her head. “I don’t think so. The torture is too much. Women don’t tend to do that to kids. They may do it to men but not kids.”

Morgan nods. “True. There is no place to really conceal yourself in this lot unless it’s in another vehicle. No security cams means he could sit there day after day and not be noticed. He’s just another car in the lot.” He turns and looks at Emily. “We need to see the other sites.”

Emily nods. “You’re right. But this is the first time he’s attacked the mother. Why? That’s what’s bothering me. Was he that determined to get this kid? Or was it something she did that made him target her?”

Morgan runs a hand over his head in frustration. “We’re getting more questions than answers.”

Emily shrugs. “Sometimes that’s the way it works, Morgan. Look, let’s check out the other sites and then head to the station to look at the other 8 cities. Maybe once we see them all something will jump out at us.”

“Maybe. I’m still pissed this guy has probably struck in 8 other cities and this is the first we’re hearing about it. Hell, even if we had only supplied a preliminary profile they’d have had something that could have helped stop him before he got this far.”

“I agree. But there’s nothing we can do about that now. Let’s just get to the other sites and see what we can find.”

Morgan nods and climbs into the SUV. A previous case flashes in his head. “Emily, what if the unsub is using a kid to help him abduct other kids? I mean, a mom who sees a child she thinks is lost is going to stop to help.”

Emily’s mind flashes to the same Milwaukee case that Morgan is thinking about. She nods. “I know if I see a kid acting lost or scared, I intervene. I give them my attention. Yeah, it could make me vulnerable if I’m not in law enforcement and know people are willing to use their kids for shit like this.”

Morgan taps his fingers on the steering wheel then sighs. “Still more questions and theories with no answers. Shit.”

He starts the SUV and pulls out of the lot. Emily stares out the window wondering how a scared little 4 year old is holding up in the face of unspeakable evil.

* * *

 

Rossi glances over at Hotch. “You want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” Hotch replies. Rossi waits a moment and, as expected, Hotch does start to speak. “JJ warned me before she sent the files and it still made my heart skip a beat. Hell, I could hear Jack in the living room playing with his tank and I still had to step over to where I could see him.”

“Aaron, we all get smacked emotionally by a case. You don’t have to be the Man of Steel for us. We’d be fools if we didn’t see the resemblance and know how it hurts you.”

Hotch sighs. “The one thing I’ve learned this last year is how good this team is at holding someone up when they’re down. I’m not steeling up for you all, I’m doing it for me. I can’t let it affect my thoughts or actions on this case.”

“And you won’t. Neither will JJ. I know we’ve always called Emily out on her compartmentalizing but hell we all do it. We’d lose our minds if we didn’t,” Rossi concludes.

Hotch just nods as he continues to drive to the hospital. The interview he and Rossi must do has become exponentially harder with the passing of Monica Osters. But anything her family could tell them about the routine she follows, or what could make her turn her attention away from her son would be helpful. They are nearly at the hospital when Morgan calls Rossi to report on the abduction site. As Rossi hangs up, he looks at Hotch.

“Morgan and Prentiss are thinking the unsub may have used a ruse or his child to get close to Osters. There was no place he could conceal himself other than another vehicle.”

“If it was a van he could have been beside her and blitzed her.”

“True. But most women are wary of vans for that reason. We’ll need to ask if she’d have altered any of her actions if she had been parked beside one.”

“Any surveillance in the area?”

“Nope. The place was perfect for an abduction,” Rossi tells him.

“Great. We can bet the unsub knew that, too.”

Ten minutes later, Hotch and Rossi enter a room at the hospital where Brian Osters sits with his parents.

“Mr. Osters? I’m Aaron Hotchner, this is Dave Rossi with the FBI. We are so sorry for the loss of your wife.”

Osters nods, “Th…thank you.”

“Mr. Osters, can we ask you a few questions about Monica? Any thing you can tell us could help us find Scott,” Rossi explains.

“Scotty. He goes by Scotty,” Osters insists.

“Of course. My apologies,” Rossi says contritely. “Can you tell us if what she was doing today was part of her regular routine?”

Osters nods. “Yes. She takes Scotty to school and then she goes to work.”

“Does she park in the same place each day?”

“Sort of. I mean, it’s an apartment complex and there’s not assigned parking spaces. She tries to get close to the doors but then everyone does.”

“Has she mentioned seeing a strange vehicle or strange person watching her lately?” Hotch asks.

Osters thinks a moment, then shakes his head. “No. Not to me. Maybe to her best friend, Kathy Monroe.”

“We’ll need her number when you have a chance,” Hotch tells him as Osters just nods. “One last thing, if a child was acting lost or hurt, would she help?”

Osters nods. “Yes. Of course. Immediately. Why?” Then realization hits him. “Wait…is that how that bastard got his hands on my wife and son?”

Hotch raises his hands calmingly. “We don’t know. It’s a ruse that’s been used in the past and we always ask these types of questions. It gives us an avenue to consider.”

Osters slowly nods. “Oh. Right. Look, Monica is… _was_   a good person. If someone needed help she’d help them. But she wouldn’t do something to endanger Scotty. Especially after seeing the news last night.”

Hotch raises an eyebrow. “So she was aware of the warning about the kidnappings?”

“Yes. In fact, when the second boy disappeared she noted that she’d be keeping a better eye on Scotty since they resembled each other. I mean, you know, just the hair was the same and the age but still. I thought…” he bursts into tears “I thought she was just being silly.” He buries his face in his hands as he is overwhelmed by everything that has happened.

Hotch and Rossi exchange a look. Osters would be no more help at this time. They stand to leave.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Osters. Our prayers are with you and your family,” Hotch tells him.

“Find my boy. Please…please find Scotty,” Osters begs.

“We’ll do our best,” is all Rossi will promise.

The two agents leave. They say nothing until they get to their SUV. Even then they sit there for a few minutes. Finally Hotch looks at Rossi.

“The other 3 boys disappeared from playgrounds or malls, places where they are easily separated from their parents. Why would the unsub suddenly break pattern and attack Monica Osters to get Scotty? And why someplace like an apartment complex parking lot where someone may have seen?”

Rossi sighs. “I don’t know. It is a big leap. Maybe he was getting bored and wanted a bigger thrill?”

“Maybe. I keep coming back to the thought that he wanted Scotty and that’s why he went so far off pattern to take him.” They sit there a few more minutes. Hotch finally turns on the SUV and heads for the station to catch up with Reid and JJ. Maybe other members of the team will have a clue what direction to take the profile.

* * *

 

Morgan and Emily had gone to the first 2 abduction sites and were now at the site where the first body was discovered. It’s an abandoned townhouse. They both see the police seal on the door has been broken. Emily sighs.

“Perfect drug den. Great,” Emily mumbles remembering what happened in Seattle. And that place wasn’t nearly as bad as this one.

Morgan senses her hesitation. “It’ll be okay, Em. We’ll be in and out quickly and we know what to expect. You and Reus were ambushed.”

Emily just nods, once again amazed at how well Morgan can read her. “I know. Let’s just get this over with. Who knows? Maybe someone in there will have seen something.”

“Maybe.”

The two get out of the SUV and head into the building. Both have their holsters ready for easy access. They walk in and head to the second floor, where the young boy was found. In the second bedroom they see it is much cleaner than the rest of the house, testament to the CSI’s taking as much potential evidence as possible. The two small windows in the room had been broken out. The closet door is hanging by one hinge. Emily approaches it.

“Clear,” she states, letting Morgan know they are alone in the room.

Morgan nods. “Why bring him all the way up here? He could have left the body on the ground floor.”

Emily shrugs. “Maybe he wanted to make sure it was found when he wanted it found. Last thing he’d want is some junkie calling the cops too soon. He could have—”

“Hi.”

The agents spin around, their guns drawn. They see a teenager, obviously high on something, standing in the doorway. It disturbs them both they never heard him.

“This is a sealed crime scene,” Morgan tells him. “What are you doing here?”

The boy looks around, obviously not recognizing two guns are pointed at him. “I need a hit. He always has them. Where is he?”

“Where is who?” Morgan asks.

“The Deeter. He always has a hit. I need a hit. I need it, man!” The boy starts to cry in desperation.

Morgan slowly holsters his gun. “Morgan, what the hell are you doing?” Emily hisses.

“Look, kid, Deeter’s not here. The police ran him off. You need to go to, man. Is there anyone I can call to help you?”

Suddenly the boy looks right at Morgan. He’s gone from crying to furious. “NO! NO! DON’T YOU CALL THEM!”

He pulls a knife and races towards Morgan the knife already arching towards the agent. Emily fires.


	4. Chapter 4

Hotch and Rossi are getting a look at some of the tips JJ has culled from the many coming in on the hotline. A promising one is someone who saw an unfamiliar pick-up truck with cap in the parking lot at the Osters’ apartment. It had been there several times over a few days and the person that called thought they may have seen someone in the back of it.

“We need to interview this person for more details,” Hotch states. “We’ll need to find out if that truck was seen near any of the abduction sites or dump sites. JJ, when we get the full description release it as if we’re looking to ask the owner some questions.”

JJ nods. “Yeah, he may have seen something. Got it.”

“Rossi, you call the tipster. We can—hold on.” Hotch pulls his ringing phone. “Yes, Morgan?” He listens for a second, his eyes flashing to JJ. “Are you both okay?” JJ stiffens. “Right. We’re on our way. Don’t let them take her from the scene until we get there, Morgan.”

He closes his phone and looks at the other two. “Prentiss had to shoot a kid that was going after Morgan with a knife.” He starts towards the door, the other two following him.

JJ swallows in fear. “Oh, God. Em. Is Morgan okay?”

“He’s fine. Sounds like a good shoot. Let’s go see.”

The three head out, using lights and sirens they get to the scene in less than 20 minutes. They see Emily being questioned by two detectives. Her shoulders are slumped, her face a mask of remorse. Morgan leans against his SUV talking to another detective. Anger emanates from his body.

“Derek!” JJ hollers as they approach him.

He turns. “Hey.”

“What the hell happened?” JJ demands.

“This place is a known drug den. The seal had already been broken when we entered. We went straight up to the room we needed and cleared it. Didn’t bother with the rest of the building but it seemed empty. There were no sounds, no signs someone else was there. Hell, Hotch, I never even heard the kid walk up to the room. He was just suddenly in the doorway,” Morgan tells them.

“Was he high?”

Morgan nods. “Yeah. He was out of it. Was looking for someone named ‘The Deeter.’ According to the detectives, that’s a known dealer in this area. I told the kid he wasn’t around and the kid burst into tears. He kept saying he needed a fix. I holstered my gun to try to get close enough to secure him. I thought maybe if we sobered him up he may have seen something.” He runs a hand down his face. “I offered to call someone for him and he flipped. He pulled the knife and came at me. Emily shot him in the chest.”

“Dead?”

Morgan shakes his head. “No. She had a bad angle but it doesn’t look good.”

Hotch turns and looks to where Emily is being questioned. “But it was a good shoot?”

Morgan nods. “If she hadn’t I’d have been stabbed. There’s no doubt about that. But, shit, Hotch…he was maybe 16. That’s what’s got her fucked up.”

Hotch nods. As the team watches, one of the detectives questioning Emily takes a phone call. When he gets off he says something to her. She drops back against the police car behind her for a moment. She then turns and kicks the tire as hard as she can before leaning on the trunk of it.

“Oh, shit,” JJ mumbles. “Hotch, go see if they’re done with her.”

Hotch nods and moves towards the detectives. When one turns he recognizes him from the last time the team was in Dallas.

“Detective Skinner.”

The man nods. “Agent Hotchner. You know you can’t speak with her yet. I’m sorry.”

Hotchner nods as Emily glances over her shoulder. Her eyes narrow as she sees JJ standing with Morgan and Rossi. She turns back away.

“I just wanted to see what the feelings are, Skinner. You know why we’re here and we need our full team as soon as possible.”

Skinner steps away from the other detective and Emily. He speaks softly so his words don’t travel far. “First look, it’s a good shoot. The kid is a known tweaker and the stories from both agents mesh. But the kid just died so you know the brass is going to want this hammered out perfectly since he was a minor.”

Hotch nods. “Bottom line, when will she get cleared?”

“I’d say sometime tonight. I swear, Hotchner, we’ll get it done as soon as possible. I need to take her downtown now for a full interview.”

“Can we drive her in?” Hotch knows it’s a long shot.

He shakes his head. “No way. That would cost me my badge. Look, I swear we’ll get her cleared ASAP. We want that bastard killing those kids a hell of a lot more than we want to burn another cop for doing her job. We just have to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s on this one.”

Hotch nods. “I understand. Thanks, Skinner. Tell her we’ve got her back.”

“I’ll tell her.” He hands Hotch his card. “Call me if you have any questions. Good luck on your case, Hotch.”

Hotch returns to the others. “The kid died.” Morgan closes his eyes and shakes his head. “But everything they’ve got, including the kids record, points to a good shoot. But since he’s a minor they have to be careful. They should have her cleared by tonight. Rossi, why don’t you go with Morgan to the rest of the sites. JJ, you and I will continue with the hotline tips. Reid is doing a geographic profile for each city where we think this guy worked to see if anything jumps out at him. Let’s make sure when Emily gets back to us we’ve got something to work with.”

The agents nod and head out to continue with their case. As they pull away, JJ watches as Emily gets into the back of a police cruiser. She shakes her head.

“This fucking sucks,” she states.

“I know,” is all Hotch can say. He knows pointless platitudes will only serve to irritate JJ. The only thing they can do is keep the case moving forward until Emily returns to them.

* * *

 

Reid is watching a pattern develop. He had finished the Dallas map, as well as one for Austin, El Paso, San Antonio and Nacogdoches. In all there is a definite escalation in the way he takes the child. But there is always a part of town that is nowhere near the abduction or dump sites. He has seven points in Dallas and still needs at least one more point to pare down the possible safety zone.

“And the only way to get that is to lose Scotty Osters,” Reid mutters to himself. “That’s not acceptable. Come on, Spence, what will pare down the choices.” He stares at the maps a moment. He pulls out his phone and takes pictures of each map. He then calls Garcia.

“Speak and be heard, Boy Wonder.”

“Garcia, I have 4 cities mapped and have an area I think is the unsub’s safety zone in each. I need to know about those areas of town: types of houses, income levels, anything that could help us figure out how to narrow down my options in Dallas. I snapped pictures of each map and sent them to you.”

“Okay, just got them. As soon as I know something I’ll let you know. Oh, uh, what’s Emily’s status?”

Reid looks out into the main room to see Hotch and JJ talking to Detective Allen. “She’s still being questioned but it should go down as a good shoot. They’re just being hard-ass about it because the kid’s only 16.”

“Oh, my poor Princess. Give JJ a hug for me. I know she’s burying her anger and worry right now to do the job. Tell her if she needs to vent I’m here for her.”

Reid smiles. “I’ll let her know.”

“Thanks, Reid. I’ll call you soon.”

Reid hangs up and starts on the map of the city of Amarillo. The same pattern emerges. Reid has the maps up in order of attacks. One thing about it, the unsub was all over the place but as far as Garcia could tell, only in Texas.

“So he’s mobile. Either unemployed, in sales, or a day worker. I have a hard time with a sales job because he’d need to report in somewhere at some point. And he needs time with the kids. A day worker could have nights to play out his torture fantasies.”

He grabs his phone and calls Garcia back, remembering the case of the day worker in California. “Garcia, check harvest records for the cities in Texas during the times of the killings. Find out if there would have been an increase in day workers.”

Garcia sees where Reid is going with that thought. “Right. The train guy. I’ll be in touch.”

Reid knows Garcia now has about 10 searches going on for him. Each would take refinement to get them the information that will help confirm or eliminate theories. He shakes his head. “We take her for granted,” Reid mumbles. “I need to remember to thank her properly when this ends.”

He continues his mapping, finishing up with Tyler, Lubbock and Corpus Christi. He sends a picture of each to Garcia so she can do the same search on those cities as she had in the others. There had to be something to point to why the unsub was where he was, when he was, and why one part of town is virtually ignored.

Reid stands back and stares at the maps. Hotch and JJ walk in to see him studying the walls.

“Report, Reid,” Hotch says.

Reid turns, glancing at JJ then back to Hotch. “Each city has a part of town completely ignored by the unsub. I’ve sent this to Garcia so she can check the demographics of those areas for similarities. And this guy is all over the state in no apparent pattern. I have her checking harvest times to see if this guy may be a transient day worker.”

“What about someone in sales?” JJ suggests.

Reid shakes his head. “I don’t think so. He’d have to report in somewhere at some point and based on the degree of torture he puts these children through I don’t think he’d have the personality to be in sales.”

Hotch nods. “I agree. And if he’s unemployed, how is he getting around? We really need to know if that truck is his or not.”

JJ looks at Hotch. “The press conference starts in 10 minutes. I’ve got a sketch from the eyewitness of the vehicle.”

“Good. JJ, they may ask about the shooting,” he cautions.

“I know. On-going investigation, blah, blah, blah. I got it, Hotch,” she says with a degree of frustration.

Hotch grins. “I’m sorry. I should have known you’d know that.”

As JJ goes out to connect with the police spokeswoman, Rossi and Morgan walk into the room. Hotch raises his eyebrow at them.

“The dump sites are all abandoned places: foreclosed homes, burned out businesses, places where he won’t be disturbed or even paid attention to by the bums or junkies that hang out there,” Morgan tells him.

“So he has to scout those locations,” Hotch points out. “He has to know he won’t be disturbed.” He looks at Reid. “Would he have time between the last killing in one city and the first killing in the next to check out potential dump sites?”

Reid looks at the timeline and the map. “Possibly. But only if he’s driving himself. If he’s relying on hitchhiking or public transport between cities I doubt it.”

“He has to have his own vehicle. Otherwise how does he move the kids?” Morgan questions.

“These are all big cities with lots of stolen car reports. He could steal one to abduct, 1 to dump and 1 to escape the city with,” Rossi points out.

Hotch shakes his head. “Too risky. All it takes is one B.O.L.O. to pop up at the wrong time and he’s caught red-handed. He has to have his own car.”

The others agree with that assessment. They add that conclusion to the white board. Rossi stares at it a minute. “Now, let’s hope JJ’s announcement gets us the tip we need.”

* * *

 

After a brief introduction from the DPD spokeswoman, JJ steps up to the podium.

“There may have been a witness to the latest kidnapping,” JJ tells the assembled media. She holds up the sketch of the truck. “We are hoping the driver of this vehicle will call us to let us know what they may have seen this morning. Even the smallest detail could be important so please do not discount anything you may have seen. We are also asking the public to call us if they see this truck. The owner may not realize we’re looking for him or her.”

She takes a deep breath and continues. If they are going to ask about Emily, that time is approaching. “Right now the team from the BAU is closing in on a profile of the suspect. Hopefully by 7 p.m. tonight the police will have a better understanding of the suspect and with the help of the public we can bring Scotty Osters home. Are there any questions at this time?”

Several reporters start to holler questions. JJ points at one woman. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Is it true this man has struck in other cities?”

“We are looking into similar killings. We won’t know for sure until the suspect is in custody and all the investigations have been completed,” JJ replies.

Another reporter calls out. “Is it true an FBI agent killed a suspect this morning?”

JJ’s face never betrays the tremor she feels in her stomach. “No that is incorrect. While two agents were looking over the site where the first body was located someone suspected to be high on illegal substances tried to attack an agent. A second agent fired in defense of her partner. The suspect later succumbed to the gunshot wound he suffered. The Dallas Police are, as required, performing a full investigation of the shooting. At this time, we cannot comment further on that incident.”

She answers several more questions about the shooting and the kidnappings/killings. Once again, she impresses her team by not only hiding her personal feelings for Emily but by also saying a lot of nothing to keep the media frenzy down. When she walks back into the room they are using Morgan claps her on the back.

“Nice job, Blondie.”

JJ smiles. “Thanks. I’ll be at the tip lines if you need me.” She starts to go but Hotch stops her.

“JJ?” She turns and looks at him. “Emily will be fine.”

JJ slowly nods. “I know. Still mad as hell that she’s having to go through this shit.”


	5. Chapter 5

At 7 p.m. the team meets to deliver a preliminary profile to the police. Hotch steps forward and starts.

“The suspect is a male between 20 and 40. He is most likely unemployed but working as a day laborer of some sort.”

Rossi steps forward and continues. “He was abused as a child and his torture of these children is his way of striking back at his own parents. We believe he may have had a sibling that died as a result of the abuse they received and that is why he goes so far as to let the child die.”

Reid steps forward next. “In each city where we believe he struck there is always a part of town unaffected by either the kidnappings or the dumping of the bodies. We are searching right now but believe we will find a link to some part of the demographics in each of those cities telling us why he doesn’t strike in that area. That will lead us to his comfort zone in Dallas.”

Morgan finishes up. “This man is leaving kids where he has little chance of being disturbed. People around these places tend to see nothing and they sure as heck won’t call the police about anything. He knows this and counts on this. You need to talk to the guys in vice. See if their confidential informants can give us anything.”

One officer raises his hand. “You didn’t mention the race of the suspect.”

Hotch steps forward. “At this time there are conflicting markers and we can’t assume his race. Right now our best lead is the pickup truck. This unsub stalks his victims and that sort of vehicle would suit his needs. At the same time, it’s possible it’s a false trail but the owner still may have seen something that can help. Once our technical analyst at Quantico finishes the searches she is running we should be able to refine this profile. Any information you can find will also help.”

“But will it be in time to save Scotty Osters?” another officer mumbles under his breath.

Hotch glares at the man. “If I had a crystal ball I might be able to tell you.”

The officer looks away, ashamed of having been heard. Hotch looks around the room. “If there are no more questions we’ll let you get back to work.”

The team follows Hotch back to the conference room. It’s almost 7:30 and until Garcia’s many searches are done there’s nothing more they can do on this case. JJ turns to Hotch. 

“Have you heard from Skinner yet?”

Hotch sighs and shakes his head. “Sorry, JJ.”

“Shit, Hotch, the shooting happened at 10 this morning. Why the hell are they still fucking with her? It was a good shoot! What, was she supposed to let Morgan get stabbed by a junkie? Do they think it doesn’t bother her that it was a teenager? What the hell could they possibly still be questioning her about?”

“I don’t know. But I intend to find out,” Hotch says as he pulls out his phone. He takes the business card Skinner had given him and dials the man’s cell number.

“Skinner.”

“Skinner, it’s Aaron Hotchner. What’s going on with my agent?”

Skinner sighs. “Political bullshit. The commissioner is pitching a fit that an FBI agent strolled into his town and killed a teenager.”

“She was here because we were asked to be here. She didn’t just…that’s just fucked,” Hotch says angrily.

“I know, I know. I swear, Hotchner, the report my partner and I did say she’s clear. But the commissioner is reinvestigating. He wants to make sure we’re not rubber stamping this as a favor to the Bureau or another L.E.O. Fucker thinks all law enforcement officers band together. If that were the case, none of us would be with IAB.”

Hotch pinches the bridge of his nose. “I know. But you’re telling me Internal Affairs has cleared her and it’s politics keeping her in custody?” JJ raises an eyebrow at that statement. Hotch had said it on purpose.

“Yeah, Hotchner. I’m sorry.” Hotch can hear the remorse in the man’s voice.

“No problem, Skinner. Just do what you can. We really need her.”

“I will. We’ve got her back, too, Hotchner. I swear.”

Hotch disconnects and looks at JJ. No words are exchanged. JJ walks out of the room, already dialing Elizabeth Prentiss.

Rossi chuckles. “So the commissioner wants to play politics, eh? Boy did he pick the wrong agent to play with.”

Hotch smiles. Elizabeth Prentiss will eat the man alive. With nothing more to be done at the station that night, the team heads for the hotel to check in and get dinner. JJ also takes the time to call Francesca and check on Henry.

“Oh, he is okay. Pouted a little when I put on Emily’s cd and he didn’t like my story as much as he likes yours but that is to be expected. He loves him Mommies,” Francesca tells her. “I’m sorry he’s already asleep.”

“It’s okay. I meant to call earlier but, well, things got crazy. His sleep patterns have been so crazy lately I’m glad you’re getting him back on schedule. Just give him a hug and a kiss for us.”

“I will. You two take care of each other and find that bad man.”

JJ smiles. “We will. Goodnight, Francesca.”

“Good night, Jennifer.”

JJ hangs up and drops back onto the bed. She slams her fists down in frustration. “How the hell can I take care of Emily when an egomaniac wants to be an ass. God, I hope Elizabeth crushes him!”


	6. Chapter 6

By the time the team finishes dinner it is nearly 10 o’clock and there is still no word on Emily. JJ’s anger is mirrored by the whole team. Hotch promises to stay on Skinner and every other detective he knows until they hear from Emily.

JJ heads into her hotel room, pacing in frustration. At about 10:30 there is a knock at the door. She heads over, figuring it has to be Hotch with some kind of word. She swings the door open.

“Damn it, Hotch, is sh—Emily!”

The brunette looks exhausted and her eyes are dull and lifeless. “Hey, Jen.”

JJ pulls her into the room. “Oh, Emily.”

She pulls her wife into a hug. Emily just accepts the embrace, needing to feel the strength and comfort only her wife can give her.

“I killed a kid, Jen,” her voice breaks.

“No, Em,” she leans back and looks her wife in the eye. “You killed a junkie who would have killed Morgan if you hadn’t taken that shot. The only reason you weren’t cleared sooner is some politician wanted to use your case as proof he wouldn’t let the Federal Government storm in and hurt the rights of Texans. States rights are a big deal down here.”

“Politics or not, Jen, I killed a 16 year old boy. And I know he would have killed Morgan. I get that. But it still fucking hurts,” her eyes are filled with tears.

JJ pulls her close again. “I know, baby. I know. Come on. Take a shower. I’ll order you some dinner.”

Emily just nods content to let JJ take control for the night. It is all Emily can do to just keep breathing right now the last thing she can do is take care of herself.

As soon as Emily is in the bathroom, JJ calls Hotch. “Hotch, she’s here.”

“Is she okay?”

“As okay as she can be. Hotch, she may hate me for saying this but I think she needs to see someone before she gets back on the case. It’s tearing her up that he was so young.”

Hotch sighs. “I was afraid of that. I’ll contact Quantico and see who they recommend in this area. Take care of her, JJ.”

“You know I will. Night, Hotch.”

She quickly calls for dinner, ordering Emily the “Comfort Special.” She hopes it helps. Emily gets out of the shower just as her dinner arrives. She can’t help but smile as she sees the burger, fries and shake. She kisses JJ.

“You always know how to take care of me.”

JJ smiles. “It’s all part of the ‘Love and Marriage’ package, my dear.”

Emily pulls on her old Yale tee and her sweatpants. JJ flips on the TV, knowing Emily needs to get her mind off things for a while. As she flips through she finds the perfect movie.

“Ah, here we go. No thinking needed.”

Emily looks up and manages a grin. She glances at JJ. “I’m not dead yet,” she quotes in a British accent.

JJ chuckles. “She turned me into a newt!” she claims in her own British accent.

The say at the same time, “I got better” before erupting into giggles. Emily feels the cloud in her heart start to lift.

Emily eats her dinner as JJ reclines back on the bed to watch “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” They had discussed movies once when Emily first joined the BAU and had found out that this was a favorite of them both. When Emily finishes her dinner, she lays down beside JJ on the bed. JJ pulls her close, knowing Emily just needs to be held for a while.

By the end of the movie, Emily is feeling more at ease. She lifts her head from JJ’s shoulder and gives her a kiss.

“Thank you.”

“No thanks needed. I’m here for you just as I know you’re always there for me.” She stares into Emily’s eyes. “You do know you’ll have to see a psychiatrist before returning to work, right?”

Emily sighs. “Yeah. I hope Hotch can get someone local. I don’t want to leave this investigation. I want to show that fucking bastard commissioner that I’m here to help the citizens of Texas not kill their kids.”

JJ smiles. “He’s working on that. Come on, let’s get to bed. We’re meeting at 6:30 for breakfast if nothing breaks sooner.”

Emily nods. “Okay.” There is a pause and Emily asks with a voice so worried it breaks JJ’s heart. “You’ll hold me tonight, right?”

“Oh, Em. I’ll hold you as long as you need me to.”

As they crawl into bed, Emily snuggles up against JJ. The blonde holds her wife. Between this case and the incident with Alice Waddell, Emily’s psyche is getting a beating lately. JJ just hopes they can end this case soon so maybe she can get Emily to see Lara Westfallen. A shrink outside the Bureau may be the one way to guarantee that Emily really talks through everything that is preying on her mind.

But for now, JJ would just hold her and do her best to mend her spirit through love.

* * *

 

“I want to go home,” Scotty Osters whimpers.

The man stares at him. The little boy is sitting in the corner, his knees drawn up to his chest. His arms are wrapped around them. The man steps closer. The little boy can go no further but still he tries. The man squats down in front of him.

“Are you scared?”

“Y—yes,” the boy answers weakly.

“I promise you…you’ll be terrified before I’m done.”

He grabs the boy and drags him into the next room. Scotty screams for his Mommy until he finally passes out from the pain.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Morgan smiles when he sees Emily get off the elevator with JJ. He walks over and gives her a hug. JJ joins the others to give them a moment alone.

“I didn’t get a chance to say thank you,” he whispers to her.

She gives him a small smile. “You’d have done the same for me. I’m just glad you didn’t have to.”

“Em, you did what you had to do. You know that, right?” Morgan studies her eyes.

Emily takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I’m working on that. I mean, I know it but it’s just hard because he was young.”

“You didn’t know that when you shot him. He had a knife and he had me dead to rights. It was him or me and you chose right as far as I’m concerned.”

She squeezes his arm. “Thanks. I’ll keep reminding myself that.”

“Well if you forget I’ll be here to remind your ass, too. You hear me?” he says with a grin.

She nods. “I hear you.”

He wraps his arm around her shoulder and heads over to the others. Hotch hands a piece of paper to Emily.

“8 a.m. Don’t be late.”

Emily sighs. “I won’t be.”

Hotch just nods.

* * *

 

When the team arrives at the precinct just before 8 JJ sees a pile of leads waiting for her. She blows out a breath and grabs them. Reid goes to his maps, calling Garcia to find out what she might have discovered.

“Okay, what I have found out is in each of those cities the unsub stayed away from the slums. Now, he dumped some down on skid row but not where most people call ‘the slums’,” Garcia clarifies.

“So, if he’s avoiding the slums, which of the neighborhoods in Dallas would he avoid?”

“Check your email, sugar. You’ve already got your answer.”

Reid smiles. “Perfect. Now, what about the search of foster kids who lost a sibling.”

“That, sadly, is too large a list to be helpful. I even filtered it down to murders and suspicious deaths of siblings but it’s still too big. If we had a smaller state than Texas it might’ve been a more fruitful search.”

“Damn. Okay, well, thanks, Garcia.”

“Uh, Reid. Emily?”

“She got back to the hotel after 10 last night. Her mother had to intervene since it was politics keeping her in custody.”

“Oh, geez.”

“Yeah. She’s seeing a psychiatrist this morning so hopefully she’ll be back on the case soon.”

“Good. And, Reid? If you can get me the license plate of the bonehead that was fucking with our Emily I can do a thing.”

Reid laughs. “I’ll do my best, Garcia.”

He rings off and stares at the maps. He pulls up his email and makes a red circle in the area Garcia had indicated. He turns to the others.

“Hey, guys? Based on the other cities, this area is probably his comfort zone. He’ll avoid drawing attention to it.”

Hotch nods. “Then that’s where we’ll pay attention.”

JJ runs into the room. “Hey, we have about 50 leads on the truck. Can I get a hand?”

Rossi stands and follows JJ back to the tip line room. As they start to separate the leads, Rossi looks at JJ.

“Garcia narrowed down the area where the unsub is probably hiding out. We need to check those leads first.”

JJ nods. “Okay. Let’s just hope this really is the guy’s truck. If not we’re back to square one.”

Back in the conference room, Morgan is staring at the map. He calls Garcia on speakerphone.

“Baby Girl, we need to narrow down the geographic profile. In the area we’re guessing he’ll be we need to know how many empty buildings or homes there are in that area.”

“Ooo, that could be tough. I may not be able to figure out if they are empty.”

Hotch steps forward. “Garcia, concentrate on foreclosures. Also, buildings where there should be higher electric bills or buildings with no electric.”

“Ah, right. Okay, let’s see…damn it! I’m sorry but it seems like every search you ask me to run I can’t give you a neat little list. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Garcia. You’ve given us plenty and I know when we can get you more info you’ll deliver us what we need,” Hotch tells her honestly.

“Thank you, sir. I really appre—oh…wait a second.”

“What is it?” Morgan asks.

“The harvest search just ended. And damn my favorite platforms, the seasons don’t coincide with the killings,” she tells them dejectedly.

“Then why is this guy on the move this way? Is he just hunting?” Rossi asks.

Hotch slowly shakes his head. “I don’t think we’ve seen anyone like this guy before. Our profile’s not working because he doesn’t seem to fit a profile.” He sighs. “Garcia, keep running the searches we have you on. If you can think of any filters, try them. Nothing is too far fetched.”

“Yes, sir. I’m searching my little heart out.” She rings off.

Hotch and Morgan stare at each other. “What are we not seeing?” Hotch finally poses.

Morgan starts to pace. “Okay, we don’t know his race. His age is a huge fucking guess. And his motivation is completely unknown. We’re not seeing   _anything_ , Hotch.”

They turn as Detective Allen walks into the room. “I’ve got a vice cop who thinks he may have seen the second boy getting dumped.”

* * *

 

Emily stares at the psychiatrist. When it becomes obvious he’s not going to say anything she shakes her head.

“Um, am I missing something? Don’t you have some questions for me?”

“Actually, I just wanted to see how long you would sit there without talking.”

“Ah. Okay. And why is that?” she asks in confusion.

“I needed to see how antsy you were. You seem rather calm for someone who killed yesterday,” he states dispassionately.

Emily laughs humorlessly. “You make it sound like I’m a hitman. I shot a drug addict who was going after my partner with a knife. Do I like what I did? No. But am I glad my partner is alive? Yes.”

“You failed to mention that the dead man is just a 16 year old boy.”

Emily sits back in her seat. “I didn’t fail to mention it. I’m just…not sure what to do with it yet,” she explains.

The man raises his eyebrow in a clinical way; the way that drives Emily nuts. “What exactly does that mean?”

“I mean, I’m still working on that.” She thinks a moment before continuing. “He’d have killed Morgan. At my angle, I only had one shot that would stop him before that happened. It wasn’t even what we consider a kill shot. Depending on what he was on, it may not have even slowed him down. There is always a risk when dealing with drug addicts that their body won’t even register the pain. I’ve seen men with fatal wounds take out cops as if they had a scratch.” She takes a deep breath, confident of the next statement. “I had to take the shot, I had to try to kill him to keep my partner alive. But I hate the fact that he was a kid. He had a chance to turn his life around and I took that from him, justified or not.”

“So you feel guilty?”

“I feel…conflicted,” Emily admits. In her mind she is sure her honest answer has just cost her a week off at least. She looks down at her hands. “Taking a life, no matter the reason, chips away at the soul.” To herself she finishes the thought. “ _And sometimes I wonder how many more chips I can take out before I lose my soul completely_.”

The doctor makes a few more notes and then stands. He hands her a slip of paper. “You made a good decision, Agent Prentiss. I’m not saying it was easy but it was good. And I think you have the right amount of conflict about it to be safe.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Emily stands and takes the slip of paper clearing her back to duty. “Um, thanks. I appreciate the early appointment.”

Emily drives the SUV to the police station. She sits outside in the parking lot for a few minutes. She may have been cleared by the police and by the shrink but is she clear in her own mind? How many times can you kill before you’re damned? How many times can you tell yourself it was for the greater good? She runs a hand down her face.

“I need a vacation,” she mutters as she heads inside.


	8. Chapter 8

As if their minds are connected (and maybe in some ways they are) JJ senses when Emily arrives. She turns and looks over her shoulder. Rossi follows her gaze and smiles.

“She doesn’t look pissed so I bet she’s cleared,” he says.

JJ watches her. “True. But something’s still bothering her.”

Rossi looks at JJ. “Jennifer, she killed a teen. It’s going to bother her a while. It did after New York, it will now.”

JJ turns and stares at Rossi. “I…I didn’t know she struggled after that.”

Rossi gives her his infamous half-grin. “At the time you were dealing with an unexpected pregnancy and a very unexpected proposal. My guess is you were a little more concerned with yourself than with Emily and at the time that was perfectly fine.”

JJ sighs. “Not really. Rossi, Will and I already knew things weren’t progressing. The pregnancy made him propose and made me accept. We were caught up in the insanity of it all.” She pauses. “I already knew I was falling for Emily. And when I heard one of our SUV’s had exploded my world collapsed in on me and nothing seemed right until I saw Emily again. I should have ended things with Will then but I didn’t. It wasn’t fair to him or to Emily. And had I been honest maybe I’d have known she was having issues. And then maybe last night I could have helped her more. Excuse me a minute.”

JJ walks out of the room. Rossi assumes she’s going to Emily and is surprised when instead she heads towards the doors. He decides to give her a few minutes before going after Emily.

* * *

 

Emily hands her release to Hotch. “He cleared me.”

Hotch stares into her eyes. “That’s good, right?”

Emily looks away. “Let’s just say I may ask Jen for the number of the shrink she doesn’t officially see.” She looks back. “I’ll be okay for this case, Hotch. I just…I may need a few days when we get back.”

He nods. “Done.”

“So, what do we have?” she asks.

“Lots of questions and no answers,” Morgan tells her. “And one possible lead. We’re waiting on a vice cop who may have seen the unsub.”

As if she knew they needed her, Morgan’s phone rings and it’s Garcia.

“Please, please give me good news, my goddess,” he says as he answers.

“I will. There is a creepy connection of all the victims. Every child had at least one parent who at one time was incarcerated,” she informs them. “And before you ask, yes, this holds true in every city. And the sentences range from a few days for DUI to several years for robbery.”

“Jail…oh, my God. We’re fools,” Emily mumbles.

She starts to flip through the photos from one file until she finds what she needs. She sighs as she sees she’s right. Garcia continues her recitation.

“I’ve been able to do some checks and found out that jail and prison records in each city were hacked within the last year, each hack occurring about a month before the killings in that city started. Additionally, there have been hacks in the parole databases.”

“And those databases would include names of children,” Hotch points out.

“Which means the unsub could troll until he found 5 or 6 names of ex-cons who have children that fit a particular hair color,” Morgan finishes.

“Uh, guys take a look at this considering what we know now,” Emily tells them holding up a picture of the burn.

Morgan and Hotch stare a minute. Finally Hotch shakes his head. “I don’t see it, Prentiss.”

Emily sighs and pulls her keys from her pockets. She holds up her handcuff key. “Look familiar,” she asks dryly.

The burn is the impression made by the top, rounded portion of the key, including the part that can lock them to prevent unnecessary tightening.

“I’ll be damned,” Morgan mutters. “That’s why it seemed familiar.”

“None of the children show signs of having been cuffed. He uses this strictly to inflict pain,” Hotch says.

“But we still don’t know why or who,” Reid points out.

“Garcia, run a check on prison guards and parole officers statewide that have lost their jobs in the last year, concentrating on when the murders started. The hacking could have led to his firing or it could have happened afterward,” Hotch tells her.

“I’ll get on it. It’s going to take a while,” she warns.

“As soon as you can, Garcia. Do what you have to do. Scotty’s life depends on it,” Hotch tells her.

Garcia gets excited. She’s basically been given carte blanche to hack and ignore rules and laws. “I’ll be flying through cyberspace faster than a monkey on Monster, sir! Garcia out!”

The three profilers look at each other, grinning. “A monkey on Monster,” Emily repeats.

“When was her last drug test?” Hotch asks with a shake of his head.

Just then Rossi pops his head into the room. “Um, Prentiss. A word?”

Emily nods and follows him out. She can see he looks uncomfortable.

“I may have sort of stuck my foot in my mouth with JJ,” he tells her.

Emily frowns. “Okay. How?”

“She didn’t know the struggles you had after the shooting in New York.”

Emily crosses her arms and looks down at her feet. She and Rossi had talked more than once about her feelings over shooting the young terrorist, especially since he seemed to put himself in the position to be killed on purpose. “Ah. Right. Well, we weren’t together so how could she know?”

“I tried to tell her that. She’s not quite ready to hear it yet. At least not from me. She went out front to gather herself,” he informs her.

Emily slowly nods. “I see. How long ago?”

“Right after you got here.”

“Okay.” She glances at her watch. “I’ll go see if I can talk her back in. If not, I’ll get in there to help you with the tip line leads.”

Rossi nods and watches as Emily heads out front. She looks around for her wife but she can’t be found. Emily checks the parking lot but JJ is not in the SUV’s. Emily frowns. Maybe she had missed her heading back inside. As she walks back towards the building she pulls her cell and dials JJ’s number.

Her heart leaps in her throat when she hears the ringtone JJ uses for her calls. She moves her phone away from her ear and starts to follow the sound. When JJ’s voicemail picks up, Emily hangs up and hits redial. She gets closer to the building and sees a small alley leading down beside the building.

Halfway down the alley she sees JJ’s phone on the ground. She quickly dials Hotch.

“JJ’s missing,” is all she says as he answers. She wants to race down the alley but instead she carefully starts to scan the ground. She knows she can’t risk running down the alley and disturbing evidence. She hears feet running behind her and turns to see her team.

“Her phone is there. We need techs out here. Now.”

Morgan sees where the alley ends. “I’m going around to the other side.”

He taps Reid and the two of them race back into the building to go out the back and see what they can find. Emily is shaking, her emotions running too close to the surface for anyone’s safety. She starts to pace.

“Where are the fucking techs?” She hollers when her patience runs out.

“Easy, Prentiss,” Hotch cautions her.

Emily just glares at him. Hotch wonders if maybe the psychiatrist may have been too nice in clearing Emily after all.

Emily’s cell phone rings. She answers it before the tone stops. “Morgan?”

“Emily, there’s nothing here. But Reid’s on the phone with Garcia because there are camera’s. There’s no way she’s not on them somewhere.”

Emily nods as two crime scene techs walk past her, scanning the ground for clues. When they get to JJ’s phone one of them leans down and touches the bricks near the bottom of the wall. The woman turns and looks back up towards the gathered cops and agents.

“There’s blood here.”

Emily falls against the side of the building, her heart racing in her chest. Her fury coming close to eruption.


	9. Chapter 9

Hotch stares at the dark-haired agent. Her nerves had been tested by the shooting and subsequent treatment the day before. This could push her over the edge. He is glad her service weapon had not made it over from IAB yet. He would be hesitant to return it to her at the moment.

“Prentiss, I want you and Rossi to meet with Detective Allen and the vice cop. We need—”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” she explodes. “I’m not leaving this alley until we know what happened!”

He grabs her arm and leads her away from the gathered police. “Emily, listen to me. You know as well as I do that there’s a good chance the unsub took her to find out what we know. The only way we can find this bastard is to keep working the case. I will stay to supervise everything going on out here. I swear to you: they will not miss a bit of evidence. I need you and  _Jennifer_ needs you to listen to this vice cop and see if what he says can help us find the unsub. We find him, we find her.”

Emily stares into the distance. She knows he’s right but there is still something that niggles the back of her mind. “Hotch…what if…” she swallows, trying to find her voice. “What if it wasn’t him?”

“Then we’ll be solving 2 cases instead of 1. Don’t give up on her or us, Emily. Work the case,” he insists compassionately.

Emily slowly nods. Without another word she heads back into the building. Hotch looks to Rossi, who nods and follows her inside. Emily paces like a tigress, flipping through the new tips almost as fast as Reid could. Rossi gives her some space, going over some of the tips he and JJ had culled out earlier.

Ten minutes pass before Detective Allen leads in a scruffy, handcuffed man. The man cusses the detective a couple times, accusing him of entrapment. Rossi and Emily exchange a look and follow the two down to an interrogation room.

Inside they find Allen has already uncuffed the man. He looks at them.

“Hi, I’m Detective Greely. I’d offer my hand but I haven’t had a shower in two days.”

Rossi grins. “Appreciated. So what can you tell us?”

The man starts to pace. “You have to understand. I’m deep under. Sometimes you have to do things that aren’t exactly legal.”

“I understand. Trust me,” Emily says, getting a surprised look from Rossi. She won’t meet his eyes.

Greely stares into her face a moment. Something in the dark, nearly black eyes tells her that she could probably tell him stories that would make him shiver. “Yeah, well, I’d been drinking all morning with this one guy. Granted, he’d had more than me but I was still feeling the effects. He was my entry into the group I’m gathering intel on now. Anyway, I saw the truck in the BOLO. When my handler contacted me with the information I knew I’d missed a chance to stop this bastard before he took this latest kid.” He sighs. “I’m going to have to live with that. Anyway, he’s white, about 6’, clean cut. And he has a small dog with him.”

Rossi straightens up. “A dog. He uses the dog not a kid to get to people.”

Emily nods. “Makes sense. A dog runs up to you unless you’re terrified of them you’re going to address it, try to find where it’s supposed to be. Not to mention your kid will probably be excited by it.”

“Was there anything about him that stood out?” Rossi presses.

“Not really. He threw a duffle bag over his shoulder. When he went into the house I figured he was another dealer. He wasn’t strung out so I knew he wasn’t a junkie. I was sober enough to make note of his license plate because I figured he’d end up in my lap eventually. I swear, I never knew he was dumping a kid.”

Emily nods. “I know. Sometimes you ignore the feeling in your gut to get the job done. I promise you I get it.”

Greely slowly nods. “Yeah, I know you do. So much for the glory of undercover work, right?”

Emily spares him a smile. “Fucking lies they use to sell us on it.”

He nods. “Look, if I see anything else, I’ll get a hold of my handler immediately.”

“Good.” Emily takes a breath. “Look, there’s a chance this guy took a Federal Agent today. We’re not a hundred percent sure yet but it’s pretty likely. Keep your ears open for us, okay? She’s about 5’6”, blonde hair, blue eyes. She’s our spokesperson so you may have caught her on the news.” She pulls out her phone. “This is her.”

“She’s gorgeous. I’ll watch for her and hope you all find her first.”

Emily nods. “Thank you.”

Rossi and Emily head back to the conference room. Now they are even more sure the pick-up reported in the apartment complex lot is their unsubs’. Rossi looks at Emily.

“When did you do undercover work?”

Emily won’t look at him. “Dave, not now. In all honesty, maybe not ever.”

Before he can question her any more, Reid walks in. He looks at Emily, unable to hide the fear in his eyes. “Garcia found the pick-up on the security camera. She also…also saw a man chase a dog down the alley towards JJ. The dog jumped up against her leg. She was laughing at it and the guy clubbed her in the head with what looked to be the butt of a revolver. She fell, hitting the wall near the ground. He grabbed her gun, dragged her up and marched her down the alley to his truck. Before he shoved her in the back he hit her again and it looks like he used zip ties to bind her hands and ankles.”

When Emily speaks her voice is too calm. “Did the camera’s see his face?”

Reid swallows reflexively. “No. He wore a ball cap pulled low over his face and his head tilted down at an awkward angle. Best Garcia could tell is he’s white, about—”

“Six feet tall, yeah we got that from the vice cop,” Rossi finishes.

“Rossi, Hotch wants you to call a press conference. We’re now releasing that the truck is the unsubs and if people see it they should call. A reward will be offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction.”

“How much?” Emily asks.

“The standard around here is $25,000,” Reid tells her.

“Fucking double it. At least. I’ll cover it but God damn it make it more appealing than just the local standard,” Emily orders him.

Rossi lays a fatherly hand on her shoulder. “Emily, you do know that could get us a lot of false leads, right?”

“Or it could get the bastard who might otherwise sit on his ass to call with the info that helps us find her. Double the fucking reward, Dave.” Her eyes are black steel. Her body vibrating with the anger she is trying to contain.

Rossi stares at her and slowly nods. “Done.” He heads to the spokeswoman’s office to get her help calling the press together.

* * *

 

Scotty whimpers when he hears the man coming back into the room. He see the man is carrying something over his shoulder but his eyes are swollen so he can’t see very clearly.

The man glances his way but doesn’t move towards him. Instead he drops the load he carries on the ground. Scotty sees it’s a woman as her head bounces off the floor. She doesn’t move. The man stands over her, staring at her, his head tilted to the side as if trying to figure out how she got there. He nudges her with his boot a couple times but she doesn’t move.

Scotty wonders if she’s dead. Then he figures she probably isn’t or the man wouldn’t have her hands tied behind her back or her feet and knees bound. Maybe she came to save him? Maybe if the man leaves Scotty can get her untied and she can help him get home to his Mommy and Daddy.

The man turns to leave. He looks at Scotty, who tries to curl up in a tighter ball; wishing he could turn invisible. It doesn’t help. The man walks over and grabs Scotty by the arm and drags him back to the room where all the pain happens. Scotty cries for his Mommy before the pain even starts.

The man just smiles, enjoying every bit of it.


	10. Chapter 10

Hotch storms into the conference room. “Rossi, I didn’t authorize you to double the reward!”

“I did,” Emily states, not willing to let Rossi take her heat.

Hotch turns on her. “You’re about an inch from being sent back to Virginia.”

Emily steps up to him. “You can take me off the case, you can take my badge, but if you think I’m leaving Texas without Jennifer you don’t fucking know me at all. And before you spout off again, I didn’t ask you if I could double the reward so that if Straus or anyone comes down on us you have plausible deniability. It’s all on me, not you.”

Hotch slowly shakes his head. “That’s not how it works, Prentiss, and you know it. If they come down on us about this it will hit me first.”

“Not if the reward funds come from Elizabeth and Gerald Prentiss versus my personal funds. They’ll back this, Aaron. I promise you: you’re protected,” she vows to him.

Hotch stares at her. He knows her parents would, indeed, back this play their daughter made. And he knows doing it that way will cover him if an internal investigation is started. He still doesn’t like it. When he speaks it’s as friend to friend, not boss to subordinate.

“Emily, next time run it by me first. And thank you for looking out for me but I would have okayed it anyway. We have two missing persons now. I’d have been able to swing it on that alone,” he tells her calmly.

Emily nods contritely. “Understood. I’m sorry.”

Hotch then turns to the team. “So, what do we have?”

“Garcia is trying to trace the truck using traffic cams,” Reid tells them.

Emily paces, thumbing through tip line leads. Suddenly she starts to notice a pattern. “Reid, get over here. We need your reading skills.”

Reid hurries over. “What’s up?”

“A bunch of these leads have the same zip code down to the last digit. We need to plot the full addresses on the map. The unsub is too damn close to this area if that many people are seeing him.”

Reid nods and takes the leads. He flips through them in record time. He then grabs a blue marker and starts to put dots on his map. By the time he is done there is an extremely tight cluster of dots around one section of the predicted comfort zone. He pulls out his phone and takes a picture. He sends it to Garcia and calls her.

“Garcia, I’ve sent you another picture of the map. Run your utilities search on that 4 block radius.” He listens. “Right. We’ll be waiting.” He hangs up and looks at everyone in the room. “She’ll call back in 5 minutes.”

It could be five hours for all Emily cares. What if her hunch is wrong? What if he was stalking someone there, not using that area to torture kids and hold JJ? Too many fucking what ifs. The biggest one being…

What if they are too late to save Jennifer?

* * *

 

JJ slowly starts to come around. She can’t believe she fell for the dog ruse. Especially after they had discussed that the guy is probably using some sort of trick to get past the parents. Of course, they hadn’t thought he’d be dumb enough to attack someone outside the police station.

“Too bad he didn’t drag me inside like Smith did to Elle. Then Hotch could have just shot his fucking ass,” JJ murmurs.

She forces herself into a seated position. “Okay, no dizziness. That’s good,” she assesses herself as concussion-free.

She tries to work her wrists free from the zip ties but all she succeeds in doing is abrading the skin. She tries to pull her legs apart but to no avail.

“Son of a bitch,” she grumbles.

She leans her head back against the wall and studies the room. She is in a house that has seen better days. The window in this room is boarded up, the edges of the boards allowing the only light to filter into the room. The closet is missing its door. She squints against the darkness and notices the door to the hallway looks to be new. Most likely the dog-loving unsub had put it there. So, if she is where the boys had been kept where is Scotty Osters?

As if in answer to her question, the door opens. Her eyes squint again, this time at the assault of light coming in from the hallway. The tall man that had taken her steps in, an unconscious Scotty over his shoulder. He drops the boy unceremoniously on the ground.

“NO! Be careful with Scotty!” JJ uses the boys name, hoping to establish Scotty as a person, not an object in the unsubs mind. “Scotty is just a little boy. Don’t hurt Scotty. He just wants to go home to his family.”

The man walks over and grabs JJ by the jaw. “Shut. Up.” He picks her up and throws her over his shoulder. She considers struggling but bound the way she is it wouldn’t do her any good to get dropped. He shuts the door, throwing the deadbolt to keep Scotty inside on the off chance the boy wakes up.

He carries JJ down the hall. Since she is facing backwards, she studies the hall so she knows where to go should she get a chance to escape. As he enters another room the smell of blood hits her hard. He drops her to the ground and closes the door, again making sure to turn the deadbolt. Her eyes slowly scan the room with fear.

He watches her, drinking in her fear as if it’s a drug. He looks over his play room. A small cot he can use to lay his projects on. A hook in the ceiling he can hang them from. The small Bunsen burner he can use to heat up the little brand he has made to mimic a handcuff key. The stupid cops had yet to figure that one out. And of course, there was the table with all the different toys he could use to cause pain. Wonderful, delicious pain.

JJ slowly looks up at the man. She sees his face is void of humanity. She sees the way he stares at the instruments of torture in this room and she shivers. She is in the presence of something beyond a sociopath and it will take everything she has to get out alive.

His head slowly turns and looks down at her. His expression is predatory. “Time for some fun.”

He starts to reach for her. She uses her feet to push herself across the floor.

“No, no, no, no!”

He just follows her, enjoying the look on her face when she hits the wall and knows there is no place for her to go. He grabs her by the ties binding her ankles and drags her across the floor. She still struggles even though in her mind she can hear her team telling her she is giving him exactly what he wants. She can’t go quietly into his game. She won’t.

“I’m a Federal Agent! If you hurt me you will have not only the police on your ass but also the FBI! You DON’T want to do this!” she warns him even though she knows he just doesn’t care.

He never says a word. He lifts her up and drops her on her stomach on the bed. She struggles but he manages to get a strap across her back, legs and neck. Tears race down her face. She still tries to move but it’s no use. She hears a knife flick open and hates the whimper that comes from her mouth.

He cuts the blazer open up the back. He struggles but eventually gets it out from under the straps that bind JJ to the bed, bunching it up around her arms. He walks over to the table and picks up the buggy whip. JJ tries to speak, tries to get him put it down but her voice won’t work.

When it strikes her the first time she finds her voice again.

An hour later, he undoes the straps holding JJ down. He cuts the remnants of her blazer off and lifts her up. She had held out longer than the young projects had but she just didn’t give him the same thrill. Maybe because he didn’t know if her parents deserved to lose her or not. Whatever the reason, he just didn’t enjoy hurting her. Perhaps he should just kill her now.

But if he did that he wouldn’t be able to find out what she knows about him. He knows when she wakes up she’ll be willing to tell him whatever he wants to know. It will be the only way to save the other project. She seems to care about him.

He cuts the ties from her wrists and rolls her over. He rebinds her hands in front and carries her to the hook in the center of the room. He drops her on the floor below it and goes to get the other project.

When JJ wakes up she sees Scotty bound to the bed. Noticing her hands now in front of her she tries to work her ankles free. But JJ had been so focused on trying to help Scotty she hadn’t realized the unsub is behind her.

He grabs her and lifts her up by her wrists, setting them over the hook in the ceiling. She screams in pain as her feet don’t reach the ground and her wrists and shoulders are supporting all her weight.

He steps in front of her. “Do you know me?”

JJ groans. “Y—you’re the---the unsub.”

He turns and uses the buggy whip on Scotty. Turning back to JJ, he grabs her by the shirt and screams in her face. “BUT DO YOU KNOW ME?”

It takes JJ a second to realize what he’s really asking. “N—no. Not yo—you’re na—name.”

“What do you know?”

JJ knows she has to give him something to keep him from hurting Scotty. “Use a…a dog.”

“What else?”

The pain is almost more than JJ can stand. Her mind doesn’t want to think about anything but how to make it end. “We…we…know…other cities.”

His eyes get wide. So far no one had managed to see that he had projects in many cities. He had forced himself to stop after just 5, trying to change the abductions enough to keep the police from definitively linking the deaths to him. In his deranged mind, he didn’t realize his key-shaped brand linked them.

“What else?”

“No—nothing,” she grunts.

“You lie!”

He turns and whips Scotty again. He turns back to her. “What ELSE?”

“Oh, God…no—nothing. Swe—swear.”

He slowly shakes his head. “I’d thought you’d be better than this. Older projects usually try to protect the younger ones.”

“Pl—please…hurt m—me. N—not hi—not Scotty,” she begs.

He smiles but it is wholly unpleasant. “But it does hurt you when I hurt him.”

He goes back to the table and picks up the red hot brand.

“NO!” JJ screams.


	11. Chapter 11

It is closer to 10 minutes when Garcia calls back with 3 possible houses. Hotch circles them on the map and looks at Detective Allen.

“Which one would you think is most probable?”

Allen studies the map a moment, then points to two of them. “These are the best bets. If I remember correctly, the other one is a townhouse with residents on either side.”

“Of those two, which one?” Hotch presses again.

Allen slowly shakes his head. “I…I think this one,” he points at one. “But I just don’t know.”

Hotch turns to the team. “Rossi, Morgan, take the second house. Prentiss, Reid you’re with me.” He looks back at Allen. “Send four officers with Morgan and Rossi. Grab a couple more and come with us.”

* * *

 

When Morgan and Rossi get to the house they are supposed to investigate they find it bathed in blue lights. Morgan pulls up beside a cop directing traffic.

“What the hell’s going on?” he demands, showing his credentials.

“Kids were holding a rave and a fight started. It’s a fucking nightmare,” the cop complains.

“But it’s not our nightmare,” Morgan states as he pulls away.

Rossi calls Hotch. “Our place is a bust. We’re coming to back you up.”

* * *

Hotch hangs up and looks at Emily. “Their house isn’t the unsubs. They’re headed this way.”

“Are we going to wait for them?” she asks angrily.

Hotch shrugs. “We’ll know when we assess the situation. Emily…don’t make me regret giving you back your gun.”

“I won’t, Aaron. I swear,” she vows with a hardness in her eyes and voice he’s never seen before.

Two blocks from the house, they turn off their sirens and emergency lights. They park 2 houses away and gather with their back up.

“Reid, Allen, take two officers around back. We’ll go in the front. Officers, stay outside and make sure no one gets out via window or another door. Reid, Allen, make entry in the back. Search the first floor and meet us at the stairwell. We’ll decide on going up or down at that point.”

He and Prentiss head towards the front door. They wait for Reid to signal they are at the backdoor before trying the front door. They are surprised to see a brand new lock on the door. One of the police officers steps forward with a lock pick and quickly gets the door unlocked.

“Hotch, we’re ready,” Reid’s voice says over their earbuds.

“Copy. Entering now,” Hotch acknowledges.

He eases the door open and Emily steps through, her gun at the ready. Hotch steps up beside her. They have just cleared the room to their right when they hear a bloodcurdling scream from upstairs.

Emily looks up, whispering, “Jennifer.”

It takes every scrap of self-control left in her body not to run blindly up the steps. She is literally quivering with tension. When a man screams and they hear a loud thump, Hotch signals her to go. She starts up, with Hotch right behind her. Reid and Allen only a couple of steps behind him.

At the top of the stairs they see a room to the right with the door closed. Even in the poor light they can see the new lock on the door. They move slowly towards it but another scream from the end of the hall tells them where they need to be.

“STUPID BITCH!” a man screams.

Hotch gestures for Reid to check the room they are passing as he and Emily quick step to the end of the hall. He holds up his hand, counting off 1-2-3. Emily kicks open the door.

And a gun shot rings out.


	12. Chapter 12

When he lifts up the brand, JJ had struggled against her bonds, ignoring the pain ripping through her shoulders and wrists.

“NO!” JJ screams.

He just smiles and sticks the glowing metal down on Scotty’s chest. The little boy screams in pain. He walks back over to JJ, holding the brand in front of her face.

“What else do you—”

He lets out a grunt as JJ manages to kick her feet up, connecting with one of his knees. Furious, he takes the brand and stabs her in the chest with it. Even through her blouse the pain is intense. JJ lets out a bloodcurdling scream.

As he laughs at her, fury and pain mix to give JJ even more strength. She slams her head forward into the branding iron he holds. He hadn’t been expecting the move so he hadn’t been holding it tightly. It slams back into his face burning his cheek. He screams in rage as he stumbles back a step.

“STUPID BITCH! You’ll pay for that!”

He raises the brand up, intending to use it to club JJ. As he stumbles towards her she kicks out again, this time connecting between his legs. He screams as he drops to the ground with a loud thump.

JJ is swinging wildly by her wrists, the plastic ties cutting deep gouges in her skin. But she doesn’t care. She is going to do what she can to keep his attention on her and not on Scotty Osters.

He slowly stands. “Time to watch the other project die. And it’s all   _your fault_! His blood is on your hands!” He stares into her eyes malevolently. “And I plan to keep you alive so you can remember forever how you let him down.”

He swings the brand out, catching JJ across the cheek. He steps away from JJ’s kicking legs. He goes to the table and picks up a large knife.

“NO! Leave him alone! I’m the one you want to hurt. Hurt me, you fucking coward! You’re nothing but a pedophile and a coward!”

He raises the knife up, planning to plunge it down into Scotty’s chest. Just then the door is kicked open. JJ registers Hotch stepping through. She looks towards Scotty. Hotch follows her eyes and fires, blasting the unsub backwards into the wall.

JJ’s head drops to her chest as sobs wrack her body.

“JEN!” Emily screams. “Hang on, Jen. Hang on, baby.”

She keeps her gun on the unsub as Hotch slowly approaches him. Once the unit chief kicks away the knife he bends down and checks the unsubs pulse. There isn’t one. He stands.

“Clear.”

He holsters his gun and moves to Scotty. Emily shoves her gun away and races to JJ. “Reid! Help!”

Together they lift her up and off the hook she is suspended on. They carefully take her to the ground.

“I knew you’d come for me,” JJ sobs. “I knew it.”

“Of course, baby. Of course we would. Hold still a second, sweetheart,” Emily says calmly even though inside her body is in turmoil.

Reid pulls out a pocket knife and cuts away the ties around JJ’s wrists. The blonde throws her arms around her wife. Emily holds her, whispering words of comfort as Reid cuts away the bindings around JJ’s knees and ankles. Detective Allen places a hand on the geniuses shoulder.

“I’ve got 2 ambulances on the way.”

Reid nods. “Thank you.” He keeps his hand on JJ’s calf, hoping she knows that she is truly safe.

“Reid,” Hotch calls.

Reid looks over at him. “Yeah?”

“Go get the first aid kit from the SUV. Get the burn cream for Scotty,” the chief says sadly.

Reid glances down at JJ but nods. He heads out. Emily leans back to look into JJ’s eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

JJ is confused. “For…for what?”

“For not getting here sooner. For not being outside with you when this bastard took you. For…God, Jen, for everything.”

JJ pulls her close. “None of this is your fault. None of it. I know I need to go to the hospital but can you get me the hell out of this room? Please?”

Emily nods. “Of course.”

She carefully helps JJ stand. Emily tries to put on of her wife’s arms over her shoulder but JJ can’t lift them without pain. Emily moves behind her, steadying her with her arms around her waist. As they start towards the door Morgan and Rossi run in.

“Oh, Jayje,” Morgan says softly.

“She wants out of here Morgan but she can’t lift up her arms,” Emily tells him.

Morgan nods and walks over to them. He carefully lifts JJ up in his arms and carries her from the room, Emily close behind. She pauses long enough to glare at Rossi, her eyes blaming him for JJ’s condition.

Rossi didn’t need that look to feel guilty. He was already blaming himself for JJ being alone and easy pickings for the unsub. He goes over to the bed. Hotch sits on it, cradling Scotty Osters in his arms and speaking soft, comforting words into the boy’s ear. Rossi puts a hand on his friends shoulder, knowing Hotch is trapped in the “what if this was Jack” thoughts he’d pushed back for 2 days.


	13. Chapter 13

JJ had passed out when the EMT’s had started to work on her injuries. When her eyes open she is in a hospital bed, her hand held by Emily, who is asleep in the chair beside the bed. JJ squeezes her wife’s hand.

“Em?” she calls with a scratchy voice.

Emily snaps awake. She stands and looks down into JJ’s eyes. She smiles. “Hey, beautiful. How you feeling?”

“Doped up. Thirsty. Angry.”

Emily reaches for a cup of water on the side table. She brings it to JJ’s mouth, holding the straw so she can get a drink. When JJ’s had enough, Emily sets it back down and addresses the other two feelings.

“They gave you a mild dose of Demerol. They had to treat you wounds and it helped keep you from flinching better than a local would. As to anger…he’s dead. And Scotty is hurting but he’s going to be okay. He told us you were trying to get the unsub to hurt you and not him. His father wants to thank you when you feel up to it.”

“Just doing the job.” JJ starts to cry. “Em, he was going to kill him and keep me alive so I’d know he died because of me. I couldn’t stop him. God, I tried, I swear I tried.”

Emily strokes a hand through JJ’s hair. “Shhh…we know, sweetheart. Sick fucking bastard videoed everything. Had Hotch not killed his fucking ass Texas would have executed him.”

“Who is he? Why was he doing this?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been with you all night. Hopefully his fingerprints or truck registration will tell us something,” Emily prays.

“He was so sure we knew more than we did. I couldn’t get him to understand we didn’t know a lot. He just wouldn’t listen,” her voice cracks.

JJ starts to sob again. Emily lowers the bed rail and pulls JJ close, wishing she could hug away the pain, both physical and mental, her wife is dealing with. “You know, maybe later this morning we can…can call Dr. Westfallen. I think maybe we can both use a chat with her.”

JJ slowly looks up at Emily. “Yeah? Really?”

Emily nods. “Really. And I guess…we should talk about the shootings. You know, this one and New York. God, Jen, I am so mad at Rossi right now I can’t even look at him.”

“No, Em! You can’t be mad at him. He didn’t mean to let it slip about New York and I could have gone anywhere but an alley to work through my issues. Not to mention, I fell for a fucking ruse even though we knew he was doing something to get past women’s natural caution. The whole situation was just fucked up. But if you blame Rossi you have to blame me,’’ JJ concludes.

Emily stares into JJ’s eyes. “And you know I could never blame you. Sneaky, Agent Jareau,” Emily says with a small smile.

JJ returns the smile. “They teach us these tricks at media liaison school.”

Emily chuckles. She leans over and gives JJ a gentle kiss. She rests her head against her wife’s. “I love you, Jennifer Prentiss.”

“I love you, too, Emily Prentiss.” After a second JJ shifts a bit, wincing. “My back is starting to hurt. He…he whipped me,” she says with shame in her voice.

Emily tenses at the thought. She had known because she’d been briefed by the doctor. But to hear JJ’s shame sends Emily’s blood back to boil. “Jennifer, don’t you dare feel ashamed over what happened. He was a sadistic sociopath. There was nothing you could do about what he did to you. Let me page the doctor. He can help with the pain.”

JJ just nods. Emily hits the call button and takes JJ’s hand. “I’m proud of you, you know?”

“Proud?”

Emily grins. “Yes, proud. You are so strong, Jen. Stronger than we give you credit for. Not many could have withstood what you went through. And yet until the end you were doing what you could to protect that little boy. I am damn proud of you.” She leans over and kisses JJ again. She stands back up as the doctor and a nurse come in to check JJ over.

“Good morning, Agent Jareau. Let’s see how we’re doing this morning,” he says with a cheerfulness that belies the situation.

JJ rolls her eyes. “Well, you seem fine. I seem fucked. I’d say we’re doing 50-50.”

Emily bites back a chuckle at the stunned look on the doctor’s face. “Now, now, Jennifer. No letting your fangs show. Be nice to the medical personnel.”

“You’re one to talk,” JJ grumbles.

Emily steps back as the doctor and nurse start to examine her wife. She cringes as she sees the burn on JJ’s chest. And when they roll her to her stomach to redress the bruises and small cuts from the whip, Emily has to turn away. She feels her blood pressure racing. Yes, she needed to speak with someone soon. Her rage was getting to the explosion point. She didn’t even know she was crying until the nurse hands her a tissue.

“Th—thanks,” she chokes out.

When the medicos finish, she moves back to JJ’s side. She sees the tear streaks on JJ’s face but she knows those are from pain. She takes JJ’s hand and leans down until their foreheads touch.

“I’m so sorry, Jen. I wish I could make you better faster. I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll…be fine. Re—Really. Just…just hold me,” JJ weeps.

Emily nods. “Always.”

* * *

 

A couple of hours later there is knock on JJ’s door. Hotch eases it open and sticks his head in.

“You two up for visitors?”

Emily looks to JJ, who nods. Hotch smiles and opens the door, letting the rest of the team in. Rossi heads straight to the bed and takes JJ’s hand. Emily stiffens, her feelings towards him not as resolved as she had led her wife to believe.

“I should have gone after you, Jennifer. I am so sorry. I don’t…I can’t…” he shakes his head shamefully.

JJ squeezes his hand. “It wasn’t your fault. My guess is he would have taken any one of us. He needed to know what we had on him.”

“Maybe. But I’m still sorry.” He looks up and catches Emily’s eye. “I should learn when to keep my big mouth shut.”

She gives a slight nod but he can see he has a way to go to earn her trust back.

JJ looks to Hotch. “The doctor said I can leave in the morning. Any chance you can get us off the ground as soon as I’m on the damn plane?”

Hotch grins. “I could probably arrange that.”

“Well, if not give me your phone and I can show you how it’s done,” she states, clearly reestablishing who  _really_ runs the BAU team.

Morgan claps Hotch on the shoulder. “Why embarrass yourself, boss? Just give her the phone.”

They all chuckle as Hotch just hands his phone over to JJ. JJ holds it for a second, then looks up at him.

“So who the hell was he?”

Hotch sighs. “A former inmate. As a trustee he had access to the computers and he managed to jump a firewall to do his hacking. He learned how to do what he did from another inmate, whom he then killed claiming self defense. Turns out he had been jumped more than once by other prisoners. He was taking his revenge out on the kids of ex-cons. He figured if they had been in prison with him they’d have abused him, too. His manifesto was on one of the videos.” Hotch shakes his head. “We’ll be studying this guy for a long time. He went from petty thief to sociopath quickly and effectively. As soon as he set out to kill he found success. That’s not the normal progression.”

“Shit. So…until the cases got linked, there was no chance to stop him. Why the fuck didn’t any of the other cities call us? It didn’t have to come down to this!” Emily nearly shouts.

JJ squeezes her wife’s hand, feeling the tension radiating off of her. Hotch stares at her a minute then sighs. “We may never know why they didn’t call us. The important things are Dallas did call and he’s been stopped.”

Emily’s anger is palpable. It looks for a moment like she is going to argue but suddenly they all see the mask slip into place. JJ could almost swear she heard a compartment shutting and locking.

“Right. Of course. I need…I need to get some air.” She gives JJ a tight smile and heads out of the room.

JJ sighs. “She needs some time off, Hotch. She’s close to breaking.”

“I know. She’s already asked and I’ve already agreed,” he tells JJ. JJ just nods her thanks.

Morgan slips out of the room to follow his partner…his friend. He is not surprised to see her take the stairwell instead of the elevator. He catches up to her in the smoking courtyard. His eyes widen with surprise when he sees her bum a cigarette from an orderly. She sits down at one of the tables in the area and takes a deep drag.

“That’s new,” he says as he sits down across from her.

Emily looks away. “No, it’s old. Just…back off, Morgan. Please.”

“Hey, now, don’t be like that. I’m not here to lecture you, I’m not here to tell you everything is going to be okay.” He reaches across and takes her free hand. “I’m here because I’m your friend and I think you need a friend right now. So, we can sit here and talk or sit here and say nothing. But you’re not alone, Emily. You. Are. Not. Alone,” he stresses to her.

Tears well up in her eyes as she squeezes his hand. She says nothing and, as promised, he doesn’t push. They sit there long after the forgotten cigarette extinguishes itself. Finally she turns to him.

“I’m losing it, Derek. Waddell, this fuck, they’re just the latest ones but I just feel like they’re starting to take over my mind. I don’t…I don’t trust myself any more.”

“Emily, we all get that feeling. How can we do what we do and not have these guys get too far into our heads? Look, you all close on your house on the 2nd, right?” Emily nods. “Take 2 weeks to get settled in your new place. Maybe take a vacation or something. Just you. Just to get your head back on right. There’s no shame in needing to do that.”

“Yeah. Sure. I might do that,” she concedes.

“And if you need me, you call. Day or night, I don’t care. I swear to you, Emily, I won’t let you fall,” he promises her.

She smiles and it almost reaches her eyes this time. “I know, Derek. Thank you.” She stands. “I guess we should go back in.”

“Yeah. But you better get some breath mints first.”

Emily looks down at what’s left of the cigarette. “Yeah. Jen hates smokers.”

Morgan laughs and pulls her into a hug. “I love you, Emily.”

“I love you, too, Derek.”


	14. Chapter 14

Reid and Emily get JJ situated on the plane’s couch. They make sure she has enough pillows to keep her back comfortable on the flight home. Emily smiles down at her.

“That good?”

JJ nods. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. Really. At least the bastard didn’t hit my nose,” she says, trying to make Emily’s smile reach her eyes.

Emily just nods. JJ takes her hand. “Emily…”

“Not now, Jen. Please,” Emily whispers.

Emily had not said what she and Morgan had discussed the night before. And though Emily had bought breath mints, the smell of cigarette smoke still clung to her blouse. JJ had asked her about it but Emily had ducked the question. Just like last night, JJ shakes her head in frustration. Emily was nothing but walls again.

JJ whispers back. “Don’t think I’m giving up my wife without a fight. I’ve knocked those walls down before and I’ll fucking knock them down again. Do you understand me?”

Emily stares into JJ’s eyes. JJ sees the flicker of fear, followed by the flicker of love. Emily looks away. “I’m hanging by a thread, Jen. They are the only thing holding me together. Just leave them alone for now. Please,” she begs.

JJ slowly nods. “Okay. For now.” Emily starts to turn away but JJ grabs her hand. “Hey. I love you, Emily. Don’t forget that.”

Emily just nods, not trusting herself to speak at the moment.

Hotch sees the exchange. He hadn’t forgotten Emily’s request for time off. He plans to make sure she takes it. He’d seen agents on the edge of the abyss before. He wasn’t going to lose Emily the way he’d lost Elle and Gideon.

When the plane lands at Quantico, Hotch takes extra time getting his things together. This leaves him alone on the plane with JJ and Emily. He approaches them.

“Emily, why don’t you take JJ on home and take the rest of the day off. You’ve both earned it.”

Emily stares at him. “Don’t act like we’re stupid, Hotch.”

He sighs and sits down in a seat near the couch. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Emily, you’ve asked for time off. Take JJ home, email me your report. Let me know how much time you need and—”

Emily turns away from them. “God damn it, Hotch, I don’t appreciate being fucking ambushed. I’ll finish the damned paperwork for this case before taking off. I’ll be fine for the day.”

JJ and Hotch exchange a look. Both had heard her voice start to break. Hotch stands and approaches Emily.

“A few years ago, I ignored the signs that told me Elle was about to break. I thought if she just got back to the job she’d be okay. She wasn’t. I saw Gideon start to doubt himself and I figured he had done this for years, he’ll be fine. He wasn’t. Emily, I’m not going to lose you, too. This time I’m paying attention to your words, your actions, your emotions. I’m sorry I said something in front of JJ.” He steps closer and lays a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t care about the paperwork. I don’t care about what we have to do to give you a leave of absence. I care about you, Emily. Whatever you need from me, you’ll get. I’ll start by leaving you two alone to discuss everything. Take the day at least. If you want to come in tomorrow, okay. If you want to email me your reports and how much time you need, that’s fine, too.”

Emily takes a shuddering breath. She slowly turns around, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Thank you,” is all she can manage.

Hotch nods, grabs his things and leaves the plane. Emily looks down at JJ. The blonde slowly stands and takes Emily’s face in her hands.

“Whatever you need, honey. Whatever you fucking need,” she promises.

Emily nods. She grabs their bags and helps JJ from the plane and into the SUV. Their drive home is silent. JJ has so many questions but she knows she needs to get Emily home before she asks them. When Emily parks she leans her head against the headrest for a moment.

“I swear, I wasn’t trying to hide my leave request from you. I just need you to know that, Jen,” she finally says softly.

JJ reaches over and pats Emily’s leg. “I know, sweetheart. I know. I had suggested to Hotch you take some time and he told me you’d already asked.”

Emily closes her eyes for a moment. “Oh.”

They get out of the Lexus and Emily grabs their go bags. As they head towards the elevator, JJ takes Emily’s hand. She is glad when Emily entwines their fingers together. When they get up to the apartment, Francesca starts to give them both big hugs. Emily steps in front of JJ.

“Uh, Jen got a little hurt, Francesca. She can’t handle one of your big welcomes today,” Emily tells the exuberant nanny.

Francesca stares into Emily’s eyes. “E ciò che è accaduto a te, cara?”*

Emily sighs. “Vita è accaduto.”**

Francesca just shakes her head. Emily’s eyes have lost their spark. JJ’s eyes are pained with worry and from her injuries. Francesca takes a hand of each woman.

“Go upstairs. Shower. Get in comfy clothes. Play with your son. I will make you a good meal that will help make things better,” she insists.

Emily goes to protest but JJ stops her. “I think that’s a great idea. Thank you, Francesca.”

Francesca nods. “Henry is in his crib. He should be just about done with his morning nap.”

JJ leads Emily upstairs. She turns towards the nursery but Emily stops. JJ turns and looks at her. Emily will not meet JJ’s eyes. She’s ashamed of her emotional turmoil.

“Jen…I can’t. I don’t want to…to mess him up somehow. I don’t want to scare him.”

JJ forces Emily to look into her eyes. “Do you remember when the whole team was imploding after Hailey died? After we caught that bastard Belser in Nashville? We all pulled away from each other. And do you remember what you said the night you finally reached out to me? When I finally reached for you?”

Emily closes her eyes. She remembered that night vividly.

“Emily, do you remember what you said about Henry?” JJ pushes.

Emily slowly opens her eyes. “He’s…he’s a touchstone for me.”

JJ nods. “That’s right. Emily, you need him and love him as much as he needs and loves you. Don’t run away from those of us that can heal you,” she says gently.

JJ starts towards the nursery again, pulling Emily along behind her. When JJ looks down into the crib Henry is playing with his activity center. She smiles at him.

“Hey, little man. We’re home.”

His head spins around at the first sound of her voice. He rolls to his back waving his hands and giggling. JJ chuckles at him, then looks at Emily. The brunette is smiling but her tears have started again. JJ runs a hand down Emily’s arm.

“I can’t lift him up, baby.”

Emily just nods. She leans over, unable to speak, and lifts him into her arms. As she pulls him close he cackles and gives her a hug and sloppy kiss on the cheek. Emily buries her face in the crook of his shoulder for a moment. She breathes in his scent and feels the crack in her mind start to heal.

“I love you, Henry,” she whispers.

JJ rubs her hand down Emily’s back. “He loves you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *And what happened to you, darling?  
>  **Life happened.  
>  Both translations courtesy of Babylon Translator.


	15. Chapter 15

That night, after they’ve gotten Henry to bed, Emily is staring out the window at the Capital. But her mind is seeing flashes from her life. JJ walks up and wraps her arms around her from behind, resting her chin on the taller woman’s shoulder.

“I love you,” she tells her wife.

Emily clasps the hands around her waist and leans back into the embrace. “Jen, I’ve done a lot of bad things. I’ve…I’ve hurt a lot of people…” she takes a deep breath but her voice comes out as a whisper, “…killed a lot of people. How many times can you kill and claim it’s for the greater good before your soul is damaged beyond repair?” She takes a deep breath. “I killed a 16 year old boy. My best friend is alive because I did it. I should just be glad that Derek is alive. But I  _keep_ seeing that kid’s  _face_. He was scared, Jen. He was terrified when Derek offered to call someone. He attacked out of fear and—”

“Emily, look at me.” She turns Emily around. “You know as well as I do that a suspect on drugs is unpredictable and they can have strength beyond normal. Scared or not, you had to stop him.”

“I  _get_ that, Jen. But does it make it right beyond the official fucking reports? What about the fact that…that I can’t stop seeing his face? Or the face of that kid in New York? Or…or others?” She closes her eyes against the onslaught of memories. “What about the ones I don’t know because I didn’t see them die? Lauren Reynolds sold weapons, Jen. She sold weapons that were good enough to get her to Valhalla. Don’t try to tell me she is not responsible for death. And if she’s responsible,  _Emily Prentiss_  is responsible. For so long I’ve been able to lock that guilt away. But all the sudden, ever since Alice Waddell called me and told me she’d killed Detective Taylor, I’ve been hit with guilt and it’s not stopping. I’m ready to snap. I’m scared I’ll…I’ll do or say something to you to chase you away. I’m scared I’ll hurt Henry somehow. God, not physically, but mentally. I’m just scared and angry and I just need to scream or break things or something.”

“Emily, I can’t make you stop seeing those faces. I can’t make you stop imagining the lives the weapons you sold  _may_ have taken. But I can tell you that you are a good person. Your heart is always in the right place. Your actions are always to save, not to hurt. And I know as sure as we’re standing here, you will never hurt Henry, mentally, physically or otherwise.” She cradles Emily’s face in her hands. “I know that because I know you’re going to get help. You’re going to turn to me. You’re going to turn to Derek. And you’re going to turn to a doctor. All of us will help guide you back to steady ground.”

She draws Emily into a deep kiss. Emily wants to pulls JJ tightly to her but knows the bruising on her wife’s back will be too painful. She suddenly pushes JJ away. “Stop!”

JJ is shocked. “What the hell, Emily?”

Emily is shaking. “I…I’m scared I’ll…I want…I need…” Her thoughts are jumbled. She wants JJ more than she’s ever wanted her before. She wants to take her right there in the living room. JJ is hurt and all Emily’s body wants is to push her against the wall and satisfy Emily’s own carnal needs.

JJ watches as the emotions wash over Emily’s face. It dawns on her what is happening. “Emily, you could never hurt me. You’ve just proven that.”

Emily slowly looks up at JJ. “But what happens when I  _do_ hurt you?”

JJ takes her by the shoulders. “I don’t believe you ever will. Your emotions are all over right now. And that’s affecting your sexual needs. I get that. Look into my eyes Emily: I trust you, sweetheart.”

“But I don’t trust myself. I…I’m going to sleep down here tonight.” She raises a hand to stop JJ’s protest. “Please…let me do this, Jen. Give me a night to…to try to fix my head.”

JJ slowly nods. “Okay. But don’t think I’m giving up on you. I love you, Emily. I’ll help you through this if you let me.”

Emily nods and kisses JJ’s forehead. “I know. I love you, too, Jen. I won’t give up on me, either. I swear.”

* * *

 

The next morning, Emily groans as she sits up. Yes, it’s a comfortable couch but no it’s not the best bed. She stretches and heads upstairs. She pauses for a moment then moves towards the nursery where she can hear Henry playing and babbling. She pokes her head in and a wave of love washes over her as she sees him shaking his teddy bear. She moves to the crib. He sees her and gets excited, dropping his bear and waving both hands at her.

“Morning, Champ,” she says as she lifts him up. He puts his arms around her neck and gives her a big kiss on the cheek. She smiles. “You keep greeting girls like that you’re going to be a heartbreaker when you get older, Henry.” She heads to the rocking chair and sits down. “I need to talk to you a minute, buddy. See, I’m kind of having a rough time right now. But I’m trying to get better. I will do my best to not forget to tell you how much I love you, okay? And I will do my best to not hurt your mommy. But if I do, can you please just give her an extra hug and kiss for me? Maybe remind her that even when I’m being a jacka—uh, butthead, I still love her? I’d really appreciate the help.” She kisses his forehead. “And maybe if you catch me being a butthead, you can just smile and offer me a hug and kiss. You always make me feel better, Henry. And I love you so much.”

“He loves you, too,” JJ says from the doorway, where she had watched the monologue. Emily looks up in surprise. JJ points to the baby monitor.

“Ah,” Emily says. She was always forgetting about that thing.

JJ walks over and looks into Emily’s eyes. “Are you better this morning?”

Emily thinks a moment before answering. “I’m…I really don’t know, Jen. What I   _do_   know is I want to go to work, get my report turned in, and take Hotch up on his offer for some leave. After that, I want to…to call…Dr. Westfallen,” she finishes quietly, looking away from her wife.

JJ reaches out and lifts Emily’s chin. “Don’t say that like it’s something to be ashamed of, Emily Elizabeth Prentiss. I’m very proud of you for admitting you need to talk to someone about all the ghosts fighting to get out of the compartments in your head. She’s really good, Em. I think she’s just what you need.”

Emily smiles at JJ. “She can help. But, Jen, you and Henry are all I  _need_.”

JJ leans down. “Charmer,” she says before kissing her wife.

* * *

 

JJ and Emily arrive at the office just after 8 a.m. The profiler is still feeling shaky but with a plan in place she knows she can get through anything. Anything, that is, except a meeting with the section chief.

“Prentiss. My office. Now,” Straus hollers from down the hall.

Emily stiffens. JJ takes her hand and whispers. “It will be okay, Em.”

Emily just nods. She goes to her desk and puts her briefcase on it. Wishing she had time for another cup of coffee…or a shot of whiskey…she makes her way to Straus’ office. The section chief gestures to the chair in front of her desk, allowing Emily to sit first so Straus can stare down her nose at her for a moment.

“Good morning, ma’am,” Emily says, refusing to be cowed.

Straus slowly sits down, folding her hands on the desk. “Agent Prentiss, I do not appreciate getting a call from a police commissioner telling me one of my agents is shooting up his town.”

Emily stiffens in the chair. “I didn’t ‘shoot up his town’, ma’am,” she states through clenched teeth. “I fired one shot in defense of Agent Morgan. He’s fine, by the way.”

“And why did you feel it necessary to kill a child?” Straus presses.

“I DIDN’T—” Emily catches herself as she starts to explode. She takes a deep breath. “I had to make a split second decision, ma’am. He was high and we didn’t know on what. I had to fire to stop him. At the angle I was at, I’m damn lucky it worked.”

“He was high?” Straus says doubtfully.

“Yes, ma’am,” Emily nods.

“We’ll see. Give me your badge, Agent Prentiss.”

Emily sits back, shocked. “Excuse me?”

“Your badge. You’re suspended until I complete my investigation.”

“The Dallas Police cleared me! It was a good, if regrettable, shoot!” Emily insists.

“I’ll decide if it was a good shoot or not. Give me your badge and I’ll let you walk out of here. Keep arguing and I’ll have you removed in cuffs.”

Emily stares at the woman. Part of her wants to dare the woman to try it. But she knows the team would also pay for her insubordination. She stands and takes her credentials out of her pocket. She tosses them on the desk. Her security badge follows them a moment later. Without another word she storms out of the office.

Not surprisingly, she finds Hotch and Morgan in JJ’s office. JJ immediately notices the missing security badge. Emily looks at Hotch.

“Turns out I’m a reckless shithead killing kids in every town we go to. I’m suspended until the Wicked Witch finishes her own fucking investigation into my killing spree.” She turns to JJ. “I’ll see you at home.”

Emily starts to storm back out but Morgan grabs her. “Hey now! What a minute, Emily.”

Emily shrugs him off. “NO! Back off, Derek! I don’t need her shit. I’ve got enough crap going on in my head. I’m fucking done.”

Hotch gestures for Morgan and JJ to stay where they are. He follows Emily to her desk.

“Emily, I swear, we’ll get this settled soon.”

Emily leans on her desk a moment. Finally she looks at him, unshed tears in her eyes. “I need the time anyway, Hotch,” she whispers. “I’ll call you later. I need to get out of here. Tell JJ I’ll call her soon.”

“You mean Jennifer,” he points out.

Emily blushes, not having realized she’d slipped. “Uh, right. Tell Morgan I’m sorry.”

Hotch nods and allows her to leave. As the elevator opens, Reid steps out.

“Hey, Emily, good news! There’s a Dr Who—uh, Emily?”

He stares at her as she just pushes past him and gets onto the elevator. She refuses to meet his gaze as the doors close. Hotch lays a hand on his shoulder. “Come on.”

Reid follows him to JJ’s office. As they enter Hotch closes the door. “She told me to tell you she’s sorry, Morgan. And, JJ, she’ll call you soon. Regardless of Straus’ suspension of her, she wants to take some time off.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Reid asks.

JJ just nods. She remembers word of comfort Garcia had said to her in Alaska. “Of course she will be. She’s Emily,” she answers confidently.


End file.
